Dispense justice, bury terrorism

OUR world is going through a period that is so challenging that the game of knowing who would blink first between those hell-bent on destroying the human race and those working for its preservation doesn’t seem to have a time-out in the foreseeable future. The Al-Qaeda, ISIS, Boko Haram and all such bloodthirsty groups hovering around the human space seem to be having the last laugh. The heavy toll the terrorists suffer in the hands of the military forces of local and foreign countries notwithstanding, it seems every heavy blow dealt to their jaws, makes their throat hungry for more blood. The source of supply of their human resource also seems frighteningly infinite, and this may be because the rest of humanity through unjust means of solving societal problems and controversies has inadvertently continuously supply new converts to the groups. There are legions of empirical evidences to support this assertion. Take the latest diplomatic row between Russia and Turkey over the shooting down of a jet fighter around the Syrian-Turkey Border. While the government of Turkey claimed that the Russians violated her territorial boundaries, the Russian countered that the shooting was unprovoked. The reaction of members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation was most damning considering the sordid and sad nature of the situation. Barak Obama, the President of the United States of America simply believed that “Turkey reserve absolute right to protect her territory.” Yes, that is true but evidence from the field, and that is where the injustice lies, is that a plane alleged to have violated the Turkey Airspace was shot down and by divine intervention, the occupants were able to parachute themselves to safety. Instead, of capturing the pilots, Turkish soldiers continuously fired on the parachutes and in the process one of the pilots was killed. The question is “What exactly is the objective of Turkey? To demobilise an aircraft hovering around her air space or commit blatant murder of those who escaped death by a whisker?”

A group of terrorists recently invaded Paris, killing scores of innocent citizens in the process. Nobody with his cerebral cortex intact would fault the French Government from dealing ruthlessly with the perpetrators of the dastardly act but why maim innocent children and women in the ensuing reprisal attack? While it is true that the heavy bombs and grenades may be blind to their human targets like the nail of two thousand and fifteen years ago upon the cross, yet, the death of the innocent and unarmed members of the human community should be avoided during such war. No matter the aggravation of the situation, it is better to let go a deadly terrorist than to make life harrowing for a toddler. A Yoruba adage says “Ika ti o ba se, ni Oba nge” literaly meaning “the king should not amputate the hand for the offence of a finger.”

The world should avoid the Netanyahu style of attacking the innocent for the sins committed by criminals. Benjamin Netanyahu, the strongman of Israel is one of those creating problems for the world as he tramples like the feet of the impious upon the Holy Sepulchre on the land of the Palestinian, killing and maiming innocent women and children with annoying arrogance all in the name of self-defence.

Tyranny and autocracy that were supposedly outlawed by the world community are beginning to find shade under the fight against terrorism. Opposition to government inadequacies is now being branded as terrorism to the extent that people are given capital punishment because of their political belief, race or religious affiliation.

Recently, the Saudi Arabian Government executed 47 Shiites in broad daylight without the world blinking an eye. On Saturday, December 12, 2015, the Nigerian Armed Forces on the excuse that the Chief of Army Staff was waylaid in Zaria, Nigeria brazenly murdered a group of obviously overzealous youths. As shown on Facebook, in a clip purportedly released by the army, it was obvious that most of the youths were holding sticks and cutlasses which are weapons that would make it easy for the army to demobilise them. Therefore, from whatever perspective one may want to look at it, the consequent death toll is most unjustifiable and callous. In a similar case, a group of protesters demanding for a separate state of Biafra were reportedly killed merely because of their demand for self-emancipation.

The social media is inundated with videos of young and promising black Americans being murdered by the police in the United States of America for very flimsy reasons. Young men are strangulated and shot by police in an unprecedented renewal of violence against the blacks. America that had been a model of decency and justice in the world is today becoming bad example that should not be emulated. While terrorism and criminal activities cannot be justified, yet retaliation would be imminent where the victim perceives himself as helpless. There are those who are not ready to turn the left ear when you slap them on the right and it is for this set of people that we need to have some rules of engaging the menace of criminality and terrorism. In today’s world, nobody is a monopolist of violence and aggression.

Anti-terrorists would win the battle against the aggressors by ensuring that justice is dispensed appropriately. If we fail to do justice then we may, by our sheer number and might in relation to the terrorist, win the battle but not the war.

• Prof Ojikutu is of the Faculty of Business Administration, University of Lagos.