Luke 3:14 (ERV) The soldiers asked him, “What about us? What should wedo?” He said to them, “Don’t use force or lies to make people giveyou money. Be happy with the pay you get.”
It is befitting to begin this piece with a quotation of Holy Scriptures.The subject of this piece, one PeregrinoBrimah, who wrote “North`sFulani Denial: Did Arase And Buratai Negotiate With Terrorists?”,almost ended the write up with a quote so it is befitting to continuefrom where he stopped by opening this piece with a quote.
I will not waste time with niceties or trying to hide my opinion of him.Blackmail. That is what PeregrinoBrimah’s ranting is always about.This is why the opening Bible quotation for this piece is aboutblackmail. By the way, I opted for the Easy to Read Version (ERV) so hewill have no difficulty understanding what the Holy Book says.
His claim about security bosses negotiating with terrorists wasapparently meant to insult our collective sensibilities as Nigerians.Let me own up at this point that I have read many of his other offensivepieces, more out of keeping up with what his latest rant is thanconsuming his toxic output out of boredom.
One of the strategies of a blackmailer is to identify, whether true ornot, situations that he could use to drag his subject into the mud. Oncesuch information is acquired, the blackmailer then demonstrates thecapacity to cause embarrassment for the subject. The marauding herdsmenbecame that situation for Brimah, who might have thought that the lawenforcement bosses are ripe for picking. Unfortunately, Brimah got thisone, like many before it, very wrong as the soaring image of thesecurity bosses he tried to soil easily suctioned the bad blood he istrying to create.
Furthermore, he completely missed the point. The only verifiable pointthat could have been used against Nigeria’s security would have beenthe outburst of the Enugu State Governor, MrIfeanyiUgwuanyi that GOC82 and the Commissioner of Police of Enugu state failed to respond tohis early warnings. Brimah, being intelligent by half in the piece, didnot exploit this for his aim. Instead, he tried to stoke hatred againstone ethnic group by trying to convey that they are getting preferentialtreatment.
In my firm belief, right thinking Nigerians have by now learnt to takeBrimah less serious when the subject of discussion is the Nigerianmilitary or security services. Unlike, other paid activists who getbriefs in diverse sectors he has exposed himself as running only onebrief for the Islamic Republic of Iran through its embassy in Nigeriaand those who have followed his piece know that country’s only targetin Nigeria.
I suggest Brimah read the story about how the Inspector General ofPolice, Solomon Arase ordered the immediate arrest of a police officer,so far identified as Corporal Chukwu, who is said to be a collaboratorin the attack allegedly perpetrated by herdsmen in Ukpabi, Nimbocommunity, Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu state. If CorporalChukwu is tried and found guilty, he will be the full embodiment of therampaging herdsmen that Peregrino wants the northern elite to denounceand condemn. Is his long epistle about meeting with terrorists a ploy tothrow security operatives of the trail of those we really should belooking?
If I sound miffed so far it is because I am seriously put off by thiskind of attitude that compounds Nigeria’s by highlighting differencesinstead supporting solution. It gets more annoying when you come to therealization that the person highlighting differences might have done sofor pecuniary gains rather than out of conviction. I think we should allbe angry because if persons with this kind of mindset gain the upperhand we could find ourselves without a country. Please note the closingline that is couched to sound like a prayer whereas it was a veiledthreat of “and that Nigeria may not scatter”.
Even though the Good Book admonished that “Be happy with the pay youget,” it is obvious by now that he is doing the bidding of hispaymasters to get his pocket lined is dangerous to the populace.Creating the wrong impression around the massacre in Enugu state couldonly worsen tensions that are already high. Why would anyone then bedrawing the wrong conclusions simply to be able to log in with clientthat something has been delivered in their interest.
Hear PeregrinoBrimah, “If the Agatu massacre was not perpetrated atthe behest of the Fulani then why did the Fulani meet with Arase todiscuss it?”
I am wondering if news got to the planet he lives on that there werepossibilities of retaliation by communities that lost people torampaging herdsmen. I also feel nauseated that someone can take to themedia space to label all Fulani as killers, whose leadership must betreated as terrorists by security operatives. Until investigations canindict specific individuals as being responsible for the senselesskillings is it wise to criminalize an entire ethnic configuration andmake them outcasts who cannot contribute towards finding lasting peace?
Anyone that has followed this writer’s work will know that thisparticular piece is not a stand-alone but a brick in a larger wall tocause strife and division in the country. The Islamic Movement ofNigeria (IMN), to which he is a spokesman, basically overpowered andoutgunned the police in Zaria and environs for a long time. He defendedthe right of IMN to do this to the detriment of other Nigerians, indifference to Iran of course, and would have nothing against the policeor even any other branch of Nigeria’s security having dialogue withits members. So a man who sees nothing wrong with treating a radicalizedgroup, bordering on emerging terror group, with kids gloves have issueswith security chiefs finding peaceful resolution to killings that havebecome tit for tat.
Sadly, this is not Peregrino’s first futile attempt to denigratesecurity chiefs whose crime is that they are doing their duty. I thinkit is becoming uncharitable of him even though I mentally try to makeallowance for him as we all understand that times are hard and that the“man must wack” syndrome has taken a negative toll on him under theprudent administration of President MuhammaduBuhari. His dislocationfrom reality is better appreciated especially when one factors in thathe is constrained to living a false life style in a foreign.
However, there is a need to rescue PeregrinoBrimah from drowning. If wemust save ourselves the now too frequent harangue of this fellow, whohas no qualms speaking for terrorists, then we must immediately considerrehabilitating the hapless being before he plunges deeper into what isconsuming him.
Written by Abiodun Israel.
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