P-l-e-a-s-e r-e-a-d: Victims of Boko Haram

As we mourn the victims of the terrorist attack in Kaduna, we should not lose sight of what created the monster called Boko Haram in the first place. The false

federation we are tolerating, mediocrity we have elevated in the country, the warped value system that has become permanently embedded in our society, the injustices we fail to condemn because ‘it’s none of our business’ and the fraudsters in government that we laud and hail because we’re benefitting from their filthy lucre, among others are all the root causes of Boko Haram.

Above all, let us remember that Boko Haram is not only the heartless man who detonates bombs that kill many in churches and public places in Northern Nigeria. Any woman who dies in pregnancy because of our poor health care system is a victim of Boko Haram. Any infant who dies as a result of malaria or malnutrition in our land that should have no business with poverty is a victim of Boko Haram. Anybody killed in a road accident because of our poorly maintained roads is a victim of Boko Haram. And anybody who supports politicians responsible for all these avoidable deaths is worse than Boko Haram.

The choice we make today as a people and as a nation through our actions or inactions will determine the longevity of all kinds of Boko Haram. Those killed in the Kaduna bomb blast never knew their end was near. As the Igbo say, E buru ozu onye ozo, ya a dika e bu osisi (When they are carrying another person’s corpse, it seems like they are carrying a log). The choice is ours.

-Nnaemeka Meribe [Melbourne, Australia]

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