“Banditry is a type of organized crime committed by outlaws typically involving the threat or use of violence. A person who engages in banditry is known as a bandit and primarily commits crimes such as extortion, robbery, and murder, either as an individual or in groups”.
I found this definition guite amazing and intriguing. Not many people know this much about Bandits and banditry. We talk and “para” from a position of hear says, following the crowd, buffeting around like leafs in harmattan season.
Go back and read slowly what Bandit and banditry mean and judge for yourself who is a bandit or who engages more in thid act of banditry.
There are many key words in the above definition, however, my attention was drawn to these key words 1) Extortion 2) Robbery 3) murder. These key words are not in themselves strange to us as a nation.
They are not in short supply in many social, political and religious platforms.
Yesterday there was this bandit scare all over FCT of possible attack by Bandits. This scare was probably set in motion by the recent attack of Bandits at Kwali area, an out skate of FCT close to Gwagwalada and the attack of Presidential Bridage where lives were lost.
On this account it was rumoured that all
Federal Government schools in Abuja would be closed.
Over time, I have tried to see the reason why we get agitated, scared, panicky and overly worried when Bandits kidnap people, demand ransom, attack government institutions and churches but get so much complacent and unburdened when such individuals, institutions etc get robbed, their destinies killed, kidnapped etc by bandits clad in a more decent attires, armed not with gun and bombs but with something with equal destructive values on the life and future of people like their colleagues in the bush.
Why do we get worried and uncomfortable with the demand of ransom from bandits ,extorting familes of their hard earned money; but unconcerned, while the very bandits that have kidnapped our collective future, extort her of her resources, killing her slowly by day with the pen of corruption , signing away the blood of this country waiting patiently when her last breath would be keep their trade running.
Nobody strives and survives in an atmosphere of fear, uncertainties, violence and trepidation. Peace is not only desirable but on its bed rock one finds fulfilment.
We have had bad moments with these bandits, gradually getting more emboldened and daredeviled, moving in an audacious manner, crossing the red lines without fear, rather exhibiting in a commando manner the bravery that could only be seen in warlords, sitted on the tower of their captured cities.
Is Nigeria a captured or about to be captured nation? The fear is palpable and the very real warlords of this country appear fledgling and possibly at their wit ends.
As we continue to pray and relie on God’s divine intervention to put these bandits and kidnappers in same mould He put Sennacherib, Nebuchadnezzar, Pharaoh, prophets of baal and every other person that did wickedness to the people of God as they are presently doing us , the need and consciousness of a more deadly and wicked bandits and banditry going on in our agencies, ministries, judiciary, Legislative ,Excutives etc should not be lost on us.
Take a decent statistics of the number of life lost, destined destroyed, future marred and bleaked by the wickedness and banditry of those in authority, one wouldn’t agree anymore that what we see today as bandits and banditry as gruesome as they appear are just infantile in what goes on in the name of corporate government bandits and banditry.
In these two, the bandits with corporate swag and those in crude and uncouth form, may God deliver us. The duo kill, Rob and extort, the only difference is their style in operations.
God’s willing, come 2023, all forms of banditry in the forest and in the cosy room of offices ,will be a thing of the past.
If the Lord does not watch the city in vain does a watch man keep vigil. He will surely watch over the city of Nigeria and we would be free from the stronghold of all forms of banditry official or otherwise
#Jarlath Opara
