The Gruesome Murder Of Oluwatoyin Olusesan
By Reuben Abati

I grieve for Ms Oluwatoyin Olusesan. She is our compatriot and the latest victim of the politics of religion as a purveyor of hate. Her story is sad, it is most disturbing, it is an unfortunate reflection of the divisive character of religion in our land, and the depth of the rot that surrounds us. It is better to quote the report of the circumstances leading to her murder in extenso.

The following is taken from the pages of The Punch newspaper of Thursday, March 22, 2007: "Muslim pupils at a secondary school in Gandu, Gombe state, beat a teacher to death after accusing her of desecrating the Koran. According to agency reports, the teacher, Oluwatoyin Olusesan, a Christian, was invigilating an Islamic Religious Knowledge exam at the Government Day Secondary School, Gandu when the incident occurred. The students attacked her outside the school compound after the exam and killed her. They also burnt some of the school blocks in the process.

The Vice Principal, Hajiya Hadiza Gombe said the teacher, who was employed on contract was assigned to invigilate the SS1 pupils who were writing their Islamic Religious Knowledge exams. She added that the teacher suspected that a foul play was about to take place when one of the students wanted to come in with his books to the exam hall. Gombe said when the teacher collected the books and threw them outside, unknown to her, there was a copy of the Holy Quoran among the books. The principal said before they knew what was happening, the students had started chanting Allahu Akbar (God is Great). All efforts to control the rampaging students proved abortive even when the school principal, Mohammed Sadiq, tried to protect the teacher in his office. The principal was also terribly beaten and injured while they set the teacher's car, three classes, the school's clinic, administrative block and library on fire..."

I think that the least that can be done is to close down this school permanently and throw away the keys. The students behind this act of savagery should be identified, and made to face the full wrath of the law: these are not students, they are something else, something unnamable, and the society that has produced this level of criminality at the level of a secondary school is truly an unfortunate society. That this is the character of young persons in certain parts of the country is lamentable. These are children who are in their teens, and probably as young as 11; we have every cause to worry about the future. Ms Olusesan was doing her duty as a teacher. Examination malpractice is the bane of the education sector in Nigeria. She had no intention whatsoever to desecrate any religion, she merely wanted to protect the integrity of the examination that she had been asked to invigilate. She wanted to stop one of the pupils from cheating. But her own pupils, over whom she stands in principle in loco parentis turned against her and the school system and wreaked havoc.

There was no one prompting them, no mallam or imam in the background giving them any instructions, they acted out of their own volition as products of a peculiar socialization process in Nigeria, within the framework of which anyone who speaks a different tongue or belongs to another faith, is seen as an outsider, as an enemy to be exterminated at the slightest provocation. What was played out in that incident in Gombe is the terrible story of Nigeria. Coming a few days after a group of mad men, the supporters of Alhaji Hashidu Abubakar stormed an open court in session and inflicted injuries on the Chief Magistrate, just because they did not want the Magistrate to remand their leader in prison custody, this episode confirms the suspicion that Gombe state has effectively become a theatre of anarchy. It is a shame that there is a government in place there. And if we may add, this is yet another proof that we are not yet a nation.

Ms Olusesan is a contract staff: this is something that happens in many Northern states: on account of an indigenization drive which is really an act of temporocentrism, and discrimination, workers from other parts of the country who seek employment in the Northern states, as civil servants, are recruited as contract staff. They are regarded as outsiders and yet the Nigerian Constitution forbids any form of discrimination against all citizens, in every part of Nigeria. This is a problem with the Nigerian state: the fact that depending on the circumstances a citizen with bona fide rights under the Constitution could become a non-citizen, as in the ethnic crisis in Plateau state, the inter-ethnic conflicts in Ife/Modakeke, Aguleri/Umuleri, the Tiv/Jukun conflict, and all such examples in which a combination of ethnic and sectarian violence has placed a question mark on the Nigerian arrangement. Last year, at least three states in the North decided to introduce special fees for students from other parts of Nigeria and in one particular instance, the state House of Assembly forbade non-indigenes from running private schools in the state except in collaboration with indigenes. The children of Gombe are the products of this social disorientation, this failure of leadership, they are living proof that the future is a land of many more troubles.

And yet it is ironic that religion is the catalyst for so much hate. The Qu'ran, the Holy book of Islam contains specific provisions and injunctions which underline the nature of the religion as the religion of peace and tolerance. The Qu'ran teaches for example that all human beings are equal before God (Sura 23, 12 -14). In Surah 2: 177, the Qu'ran states that the faithful should do good to fellow human beings. Doing good in this context means respecting the rights of other persons, and treating them with courtesy and dignity. The Qu'ran does not impose the religion of Islam on anybody, rather it preaches tolerance (Sura 2, 256). Moslems are further required to be benevolent to other persons particularly the needy and the handicapped. If this is what the religion teaches, where then is the source of the paradox of violence, intolerance and fundamentalism?

The Holy Bible also contains provisions and injunctions that are similar to those found in the Qu'ran. The Christian religion teaches the virtues of tolerance, perseverance, understanding, respect for one's neighbour, humility and faith. In Galatians 3: 28, Christians are advised that "there is no longer any difference between Jew and Greek, or between slave and freeman, or between man and woman: but all of you are one in Christ Jesus." This injunction is based on a conception of Christianity as a religion of love and peace. In John 15: 12- 13, it is written: "My commandment is this: love one another, just as I love you. The greatest love a person can have for his friends is to give his life to them." Every Christian is required to live a Christ-like life, to follow in the footsteps of the Lord. If every man was created in God's image, then the highest demonstration of faith is to seek that communion with God by obeying His commandments. And so it is written in II Timothy 2: 19: "Whoever says that he belongs to the Lord must turn away from doing wrong things." Even in the face of extreme provocation, Christians are required to show restraint. "However if you suffer because you are a Christian, don't be ashamed of it, but thank God that you bear Christ's name" (I Peter 4: 16).

The same refrain about brotherhood and the promotion of peace and love underscores traditional African religion, which is perhaps the most misunderstood of the three main religions. Traditional African religion is directly linked to the African world-view and philosophy which is based like Islam and Christianity on a conception of a Supreme Being, a transcendental force which oversees the affairs of men. That supernatural essence is worshipped, mollified and propitiated in order to ensure peace and stability on earth. This view of religion is also, as can be seen functional; the ultimate goal of the rituals and festivals that are organized to propitiate the Supreme being and other animistic forces is not to promote sectarian preferences, but to ensure a communal balance that would benefit all men.

Traditional religion is inspired by a vision of progress, and optimism, the thinking that there is no problem that cannot be solved, no ailment that is without a solution, very much in the same sense in which the idea of salvation is at the core of Christianity. The Ifa corpus, to cite a specific example is replete with accounts of sacrifice, human trials and triumphs. It is true that the average Nigerian's fascination with religion has helped to create communities of affection and identity, and provided many with a sense of meaning in a difficult environment. But for the most part, religion has proven to be a threat to the very survival of the Nigerian state, a constant source of friction, division and violence, with the adherents of the religions behaving in the public arena in a manner that contradicts the doctrines of their various faiths.

The crisis did not begin today; the children of Gombe are the great grandchildren of this phenomenon. The conversion of religion into a vehicle for violence takes at least there main forms in the Nigerian context: an intra-religion form, an inter-religion form and the mixture of religion and state politics, but it is the second category that has been most felt.

There was for example a religious dimension to the Nigerian civil war of 1967 -70, with the killing of Igbos who are mainly Christians in the Moslem North, and the declaration of secession by Igbos under the umbrella of the Republic of Biafra, in 1980, there was yet another clash between Moslems and Christians in Kano, again in Maiduguri in 1981, in Gombe in 1983, in Yola in 1984, Kafanchan in 1985, Univesrity of Ibadan in 1986, Kaduna in 1987, Kano and Bauchi in 1991, Zango Kataf and Bauchi in 1992, Funtua in 1992, Kano in 1994, Kaduna in 2000, Jos in 2001, Abuja in 2002, Numan, Adamawa in 2003, Maiduguri, Kano, Bauchi, and Onitsha in 2006. Common to all these instances of Christian-Moslem is needless rivalry, a clear advertisement of religious intolerance and complete disregard for human rights, and a total abandonment of all the original teachings of the religions about love and peace.

In 1994, a Moslem sect engaged a group of Egungun worshippers in a bloody fight on the streets of Lagos. In 1998, Moslem youths attacked the Moremi shrine in Offa, Kwara state; in Bariga, Lagos, fanatical Moslem youths stopped a masquerade from passing through Ayoka street where a mosque is located. In 2001, an Oro cult festival in Sagamu was defied by the Moslem Hausa-Fulani residents, resulting in a temporary spread of anomie. In September 2005, the sleepy town of Iwo, Osun state became a theatre of war when a group of Moslems called Tahun took on the community's masquerade cult in open combat.

Often the reasons for the orgy of religious violence may seem rather strange and implausible: in 1986, the University of Ibadan community was divided between Moslem and Christian academics over the location of a cross in front of the Chapel of Resurrection. In 2002, Moslems opposed plans to host the Miss World Beauty pageant in Nigeria and a certain reference to the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) in an article in ThisDay newspaper written by a young reporter Isioma Daniel. There was also the famous Gideon Akaluka case. Akaluka was murdered, like Ms Olusesan because he was said to have desecrated the Holy Quran; in Lagos, Idi Araba, a Lagos suburb exploded because a Yoruba man allegedly urinated close to a Fulani mosque.

In 2000, disagreements over the introduction of the Sharia as a criminal orthodoxy also resulted in killings, and in 2006, a controversy in Europe involving the publication of certain cartoons about the Prophet (SAW) in a Danish newspaper, Jyllands-Posten led to an orgy of killings in parts of Nigeria. The same year, students of two Higher Institutions: Obafemi Awolowo University and the Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro staged a religious drama of their own which resulted in the disruption of public peace. In the former, a group of Moslem students attacked other students who were said to have been watching a pornographic film, what followed was an open fight in which dangerous weapons were freely employed. In Ilaro, Christian students attacked female students wearing the Moslem hijab; Moslem students quickly formed themselves into an army and organized reprisal attacks.

Where are we going then as a nation, if the youths are already lost and the future is so imperilled? May the soul of Ms Olusesan find peace

Robot  # 1 | 25.03.2007 02:47

I grieve for Ms Oluwatoyin Olusesan. She is our compatriot and the latest victim of the politics of ...Read the full article.

Fjord  # 2 | 25.03.2007 06:16

There's an ongoing thread on this site on this issue; the following comments ought to be viewed in that light... You always have to a measure of sth like pity (for want of a better word) when a columnist has to write a piece on an issue as this. Abati sought to be balanced (and, one should suppose, reasonably so); it is one of the hazards of having to be balanced to sacrifice a good slice of brutal logic. Abati has written a piece on a difficult issue, and the need to be "balanced" and keep the opposition one his side was clear. We thank Abati for filling in the gaps of the earlier report: the (I now understand) correct rendering of the name of the victim, and the other details of the Gombe high school madness. And, again, we see in these details, that simply the charge of desecration of the Quran is enough for the visitation of violence. The mantra "Allahu Akbar" becomes a signature ushering in some violence in the name of religion. The comparison of Islam and Christianity on violence is interesting: Jesus the Christ reformed the murderous, genocidal and violent God of the old testament; there was a progression, from Judaism to Christianity, towards peace and nonviolence. the reverse is true of Islam. Early texts, such as Sura 2, verse 256 appeared peaceful (the reason for this is self-evident: Islam was yet a religion in infancy; and when the numbers are against you, you wouldn't reasonably be thinking of war), but as the religion gathered numerical strength, it became one of violence. See Sura 5 verse 85, and Sura 9 verse 5. Abati's appeal to peace is thus not based on a complete synthesis of the contents of Islam's holy book. Abati employed the means of collective responsibility to condemn the act of the Gombe students: "There was no one prompting them, no mallam or imam in the background giving them any instructions, they acted out of their own volition as products of a peculiar socialization process in Nigeria, within the framework of which anyone who speaks a different tongue or belongs to another faith, is seen as an outsider, as an enemy to be exterminated at the slightest provocation." Abati's analysis is not rigorous: once again, you have to pity the writer, but the writer gives enough examples to make the reader see where the source of the violence is skewed. And even in Abati's examples, you notice some hesitation (the compromise on the University of Ibadan Chapel Cross was/is legendary in the history of conflict resolution; if memory serves one right, there was no blood spilled; but not so for the result of the botched Abuja beauty pageant - of course, the first people on the scene were fanatical riff-raffs of a certain religion... same for Akaluka, another murdered innocent, the Danish newspapers etc etc) and - bless him - an introduction of the Arabic form of "Peace Be Unto Him" - SAW - after the name of Islam's prophet Mohammad is written; Abati is doing something here, we hope his Muslim readers will see. We should also hope they don't require him to go further to write the full Arabic form of that expression. And in addition to preaching political correctness, we must continue to educate ourselves about this violent religion while also encouraging today's Muslims to abandon the 7th century desert morality preached by Islam's prophet. .

akuluouno  # 3 | 25.03.2007 06:44

Dear Villagers, I was worried that NVS will never bring this issue to the village not knowing that it was already being discussed on another thread. Thanks to Fjord. It was my people who in their wisdom said that when evil is allowed to prevail overtime, it becomes a tradition. I think this evil under discussion has been with us for a very long time that it has now become a tradition in Nigeria to our collective shame globally. The whole world is watching us and we cannot afford to play the ostrich here. Let all patriotic Nigerians stand as one and condemn this *******ly and dastardly act. We can even postpone elections 07 because of this act to resurrect our fast diminshing visa as memebrs of the society of human beings for the following reasons I will proffer hereunder shortly. This matter has attracted publicity in areas that Nigeria cannot imagine and it has been carefully documented to our shame just like other acts of perfidy that we perpetrate with glee to our collective shame. The world has just finished celebrating International Women's Day and Nigeria after Sudan was the buttt of the international community's wrath because of the primitive/religious approach we adopt in treating our women. VVF, underage marriage, forced marriges, and crass abuse of women under the guise of tradition and religion were traced to the Northern parts of Nigeria as an impudent and egregious assault on all that womanity stands for in the 21st Century. Now coming to the issue at stake viz education, teacher (woman), and students as young as 11 years were all involved and yet no one viz, Emirs, politicians, Islamic religious leaders, security agencies have come out to condemn investigate and treat this matter with the seriousness it deserves. It is indeed a shame. It was a learned Prof who said that overtime, we have learnt to hide grevious assaults on our hummanity under youth restiveness, religion and tradition. Acts of hitleric proportions committed under these subheads normally go unsanctioned. Thank you Abati for bringing out the religious dimension to the Civil war which Nigeria has continued to deny till date. :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

Tunde meee  # 4 | 25.03.2007 07:13

Great thanks to the effort of Mr. Abati in that he did a thorough job in this piece. I find your response so pathetic in that you showcased a very tiny knowledge of the religion you tried so hard to demonise. Quotations of violence are not restricted to the Quran, for in those days that seem to be the other of the period. Permit me to say without prejudice that even in the later days of Christ (PBUH), He asked his followers to get the swords and they were able to find only two even after selling their belongings. For what peaceful purpose were they to use the swords? But for their tiny number they could have fought the pharises and the saduses and that would have been in self defence just like it was always in the days of Holy prohet Muhammad (PBUH). See the Holy Bible for so many other violent orders of the almighty God. There is a great lesson to learn for you in the last sermon of the Holy Prophet Muhammad if really you feel like understanding Islam. This message was given at the height of the reign of the Prophet when he has the final say. Read it and come to listen to the first mission statement of Islam, the first statement of any leading religious leader against racism, against descrimination of women and against violence. That Islam is against violence is an incontrovertible statement. You can only give an example of Muslims violence and none of the their religion's. Whatever any muslim does that is against the teachings of his faith should be seen as an act of his own free will and not in accordance with the Law of Allah. There is no where in the Quran where death is prescribed for the desecration of the Holy Quran but it is never an act that any muslim will be happy to see. I belief that if this guys that murdered this unfortunate Lady have seen where Christians handled their holy book they would have acted differently. I was a witness to a similar situation in a village in Imo state in 1999 where a corper, "born again"christian was an invigilator in a bible knowledge examination. He caught a lady copying from the holy bible but rather than just collecting the bible and respecting the book of God, he took it from her and tore it into pieces. This is no respect for God but no justification for killing any human beign.

Tunde meee  # 5 | 25.03.2007 07:30

Dear Fjord, Great thanks to the effort of Mr. Abati in that he did a thorough job in this piece. I find your response so pathetic in that you showcased a very tiny knowledge of the religion you tried so hard to demonise. First, the inaccuracies in your quotes shows that you only picked it up somewhere without you trying to read and understand it. In surah 5 verse 85 you quoted, there was nothing relating to the point you were trying to make. Please check the veracity or otherwise of that quote. The quote from chapter 9 verse 5 was one revealed while the Holy prophet (PBUH) was in the war front and every one knows that the killing of your enemy in a war situation is an act of heroism and does not show how inhuman anyone is. Those who have a good knowledge of the Quran will tell you that the whole of Chapter 9 of the Quran was revelaed in a war situation in which Muslims suffered a very great casuality. That chapter is the only one which did not start with the introductory statements of all muslims which is "Bismillahi Rhaman Raheem" i.e. In the name of Allah the most Beneficient, the most Merciful. This was because the situation during which it was revealed was quite urgent and did not call for any ceremony. Quotations of violence are not restricted to the Quran, for in those days that seem to be the other of the period. Permit me to say without prejudice that even in the later days of Christ (PBUH), He asked his followers to get the swords and they were able to find only two even after selling their belongings. For what peaceful purpose were they to use the swords? But for their tiny number they could have fought the pharises and the saduses and that would have been in self defence just like it was always in the days of Holy prohet Muhammad (PBUH). See the Holy Bible for so many other violent orders of the almighty God. There is a great lesson to learn for you in the last sermon of the Holy Prophet Muhammad if really you feel like understanding Islam. This message was given at the height of the reign of the Prophet when he has the final say. Read it and come to listen to the first mission statement of Islam, the first statement of any leading religious leader against racism, against descrimination of women and against violence. That Islam is against violence is an incontrovertible statement. You can only give an example of Muslims violence and none of the their religion's. Whatever any muslim does that is against the teachings of his faith should be seen as an act of his own free will and not in accordance with the Law of Allah. There is no where in the Quran where death is prescribed for the desecration of the Holy Quran but it is never an act that any muslim will be happy to see. I belief that if this guys that murdered this unfortunate Lady have seen where Christians handled their holy book they would have acted differently. I was a witness to a similar situation in a village in Imo state in 1999 where a corper, "born again"christian was an invigilator in a bible knowledge examination. He caught a lady copying from the holy bible but rather than just collecting the bible and respecting the book of God, he took it from her and tore it into pieces. This is no respect for God but no justification for killing any human beign.

blondie  # 6 | 25.03.2007 10:59

Anybody that says Islam is a religion of peace needs to try harder to convince people like me. When I ask questions about the middle east people tell me that it is because of the meddlesomeness of America in that region. But I ask about muslim fundamentalist restiveness in Phillipines. What about Malaysia? What about the Horn of Africa? What about Sudan and Darfur where the Islamic government is determined to extaminate the christian minority? Think about Salman Rushdie, a moslem himself, upon whom a fatwah was declared for daring to write something that those fanatics interpreted as anti-islam. The bombings in Madrid and London have the hanwritings of moslem fanatics. The Maitatsine disquiet in the 1980s were wrought by moslem fanatics. This sect believed in drinking the blood of their'infidel' victims. I always thank God for America and Israel. But for these two nations the entire world would be plunged into a blood bath by intolerant moslem fanatics. Religion of peace my foot! Anywhere moslems abound there is so much intolerance to other religions. This was at the root of the genocide in Bosnia a few decades ago. My sadness is that a man who violated the Nigerian Constitution and intrduced sharia laws in Katsina state is poised to take over the presedency of Nigeria. Pah! I am disgusted and outraged!

THE VOICE  # 7 | 25.03.2007 11:12

=Tunde meee;163548>Dear Fjord, Great thanks to the effort of Mr. Abati in that he did a thorough job in this piece. I find your response so pathetic in that you showcased a very tiny knowledge of the religion you tried so hard to demonise. First, the inaccuracies in your quotes shows that you only picked it up somewhere without you trying to read and understand it. In surah 5 verse 85 you quoted, there was nothing relating to the point you were trying to make. Please check the veracity or otherwise of that quote. The quote from chapter 9 verse 5 was one revealed while the Holy prophet (PBUH) was in the war front and every one knows that the killing of your enemy in a war situation is an act of heroism and does not show how inhuman anyone is. Those who have a good knowledge of the Quran will tell you that the whole of Chapter 9 of the Quran was revelaed in a war situation in which Muslims suffered a very great casuality. That chapter is the only one which did not start with the introductory statements of all muslims which is "Bismillahi Rhaman Raheem" i.e. In the name of Allah the most Beneficient, the most Merciful. This was because the situation during which it was revealed was quite urgent and did not call for any ceremony. Quotations of violence are not restricted to the Quran, for in those days that seem to be the other of the period. Permit me to say without prejudice that even in the later days of Christ (PBUH), He asked his followers to get the swords and they were able to find only two even after selling their belongings. For what peaceful purpose were they to use the swords? But for their tiny number they could have fought the pharises and the saduses and that would have been in self defence just like it was always in the days of Holy prohet Muhammad (PBUH). See the Holy Bible for so many other violent orders of the almighty God. There is a great lesson to learn for you in the last sermon of the Holy Prophet Muhammad if really you feel like understanding Islam. This message was given at the height of the reign of the Prophet when he has the final say. Read it and come to listen to the first mission statement of Islam, the first statement of any leading religious leader against racism, against descrimination of women and against violence. That Islam is against violence is an incontrovertible statement. You can only give an example of Muslims violence and none of the their religion's. Whatever any muslim does that is against the teachings of his faith should be seen as an act of his own free will and not in accordance with the Law of Allah. There is no where in the Quran where death is prescribed for the desecration of the Holy Quran but it is never an act that any muslim will be happy to see. I belief that if this guys that murdered this unfortunate Lady have seen where Christians handled their holy book they would have acted differently. I was a witness to a similar situation in a village in Imo state in 1999 where a corper, "born again"christian was an invigilator in a bible knowledge examination. He caught a lady copying from the holy bible but rather than just collecting the bible and respecting the book of God, he took it from her and tore it into pieces. This is no respect for God but no justification for killing any human beign. This is sad we should all buried our heads in shame as Nigerians that this is happening in this modern age instead of joining issues on religious basis. Let us all open up our minds to the fact that what is bad has no other name. Defending or explaining away a bad act does not make it to be a good act. Let's networked to find a way forward from all these barbarians acts.

PalmAvenue  # 8 | 25.03.2007 13:27

And where was the police, or is it the Sharia enforcers, as the violence escalated? Even more pertinent, what plans have the public prosecutor's office made to charge these kids. High school students committing murder over religious intolerance... That these kids represent our nation's future is a crying shame. I tire for Nigeria oh!

akuluouno  # 9 | 25.03.2007 13:44

Gentlemen and Ladies, Let us strip the whole saga of any religion with its pacific mumbo jumbo and narrow ourselves to the issue at stake. If we venerate our God, his prophets and his Holy book the way we always mouth, why were the students about to commit expo using the same holy book. Expo is akin to stealing and some parts of the students body ought to have been excised. :mad: :mad: Now this was discovered and the teacher, a Lady also created in the image of God wanted to ensure orderliness, respect and good behaviour in class, now some animals using the name of religion pounced on her and killed her and till date responsible people in society are in their graveyard silence mood thinking that it is golden. :evil: :evil: These kids have already soiled their already sinful hands with the blood of the innocent and should seek for atonement immediately. Nigerians should stop this act of giving a bad name to concepts which other nations have adapted so well to contribute to human civilisation. Let it be said very clearly and without contradiction, no man born of woman is fit to fight for God or his prophets. Any God and prophet worth its salt in this day and age should be able to fight for for itself or otherwise retire to Okija. This sermon should be taught by the NOA in all schools and prayer places :biggrin: :biggrin: Enough of this terrorism in the name of religion if we do not want to get that contraption of a country back to the dark ages. Methinks Pope Benedict XVI had a point when he quoted a Byzantine King recently. Constantinopole was probably prophesying about Nigeria in the 21st Century. :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:

Tony  # 10 | 25.03.2007 15:57

It is quite refreshing that reuben abati is beginning to see the North in the right perspective, maybe because the victim is from the West.Though i noticed he was struggling to be balanced and politically correct. Of course i am quite familiar with the fact that Nigerians only feel injustice when it affects their tribe. It has long been a subject on this site that Southerners should unite to call the North to order, but people like reuben abati had always prefered to use his platform to unleash hate sermons on a fellow southern ethnic group in spite of the glaring excesses of the North. The North practically lives off the South, in terms of resources which comes off crude oil, VAT, alcohol tax, fuel tax,etc as there are evidently more alcohol consumers, and registered vehicles in the South, in spite of this utmost dependence on the South for their very survival, the North is very arrogant and kills of southerners at the slightest pretext. They pretend to one Nigeria, but are very discriminatory against southern Nigerians, in employment, education etc. The average Northerner is more at home with his counterparts from Niger, Chad than they would ever feel with a southerner whom they consider as foreigners. Ideally, the North and South should part ways permanently, because the idea of Nigeria is very very fake, as is evident from the gruesome killing of the lady in question. Northerners are simply killers, each and everyone of them. Human life has no value for them. The fact that school children of 10 -11 years could so callously kill their teacher, sufficiently exposes how debased they are, and how dangerous and unpredictable Nigeria's future could be. Nigeria presently has a very bad image worldwide because of the constant shameful news of religious killings always filtering out. Those of you including reuben abati that blindly beleive in one Nigeria, without calling for a sovereign national conference where such issues as wanton religious killings can be trashed out should continue deceiving themselves. This is only the beginning of the wahala.

---

The conversation continues in our forum. Click here to read all comments

---