By Chidiebere Kalu
Even weeks after, the haunting ghost of the completely senseless and subversive #EndSARS protests have refused to desert me. I kept wondering why a sane man or woman would take a knife and consciously inflict a cut on his body in the guise of anything or for whatever excuse. That’s the highest grade of self-masochism. But some Nigerians excitedly did it to themselves.
There is no mystery I have found completely very complex to interpret in recent times like the madness exhibited by #EndSARS protesters, particularly in Southern Nigeria. Understandably and for these reasons, the reverberations of the destructive #EndSARS protests have refused to dissipate in my psyche.
It is basically because the overt and covert protagonists of the dubious protests have refused to bow to reason, more especially as they now sit back to take census of the awful ruins, they caused to themselves, states and the country. What is more baffling to me again is the actors’ thoughtlessly ruinous move to the next level of threats and intimidation of the Government of Nigeria led by President Muhammadu Buhari and the Nigeria Army, who rather saved the day.
What keeps recurring on my mind is the name of rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN) and his clan of street activists on human rights. I have not read of the history of any country where the bargain for the enforcement of human rights of citizens or a drastic change in an unpopular government policy should lead to such public roguery and destruction of national assets. I stand corrected.
But the Falanas are more comfortable with suppressing the truth and elevating lies to officialdom. Meanwhile, these are supposedly senior citizens of the country. In spite of the upbraids and the disfigured idiosyncrasies flaunted by some people, I have no modicum of doubt that justice still exists in Nigeria. Our leader, President Buhari still allows all components and institutions of a democratic nation function maximally and without interference.
That’s why I believe designers of Nigeria’s symbol of Justice must have been wisemen or people imbued with the Solomonic wisdom. The stature displays a blind folded woman, with a sword in the right hand, and scales in the left hand. In the ancient world, the fragrance of truth and innocence of humanity was more expressed by women. Our forefathers of whatever clime were right.
Let me remind that Nigeria’s Lady Justice represents this philosophical thought. Lady Justice derives her originality from the Roman Goddess “Justitia” who shares the same prowess with “Dike” the Greek Goddess. In the ancient Greek world, both goddesses were famed for truth regardless of whoever was involved. They had diabolical or superstitious influence to fish out a liar, extract the truth and severely punish the culprit for lying to the gods.
The contents of 1 Kings 3:16-28 reminds me of that profound virtues of truth embedded in women as reflected in the Holy Bible. In the Holy Scriptures, most episodes we encounter about women signifies them as a creation more amenable to truth and honesty than their male folk. Even in today’s adulterated world, true women of virtue still stand for truth and abhors injustice or falsehood.
A rewind of the expired #EndSARS protests struck me strongly about the Biblical story of the two mothers who lived under the same roof and gave birth to babies on the same day. One of the mothers mistakenly smothered her baby to death. But satanic instincts influenced her and dubiously, in the course of the nigh, she cleverly exchanged her dead infant with that of the woman whose baby was alive. A controversy and quarrel ensued between the two mothers.
The matter came before King Solomon of ancient Israel for Judgement as each of the mothers claimed ownership of the baby alive. The King called for a sword and thus, declared his judgment; “the baby would be cut in two, each woman to receive half.” The impostor mother consented to the decision instantly; while the actual biological mother hotly contested it and preferred her child’s survival in whoever’s hand’s than the killing.
The biological mother passionately begged; “Give the baby to her, just don’t kill him!” King Solomon thus declared the second woman the true mother, as the real mother of the baby alive. King Solomon was nowhere near where the evil was contrived and executed. But he sensed the truth in words and actions of the real biological mother of the baby alive.
These are lessons we must cherish and learn from it and Nigeria’s emblem of justice derives its potency from the purity of a virtuous woman’s heart. At its core is the touchy lesson that truth can never be concealed and buried forever. When the hour of truth comes, it exhumes it unexpectedly like in the case of the two mothers in the Holy Scriptures.
Falana and his apostates seek desperately to bury the truth about the Lekki Toll Gate incident, where they conspiratorially alleged, soldiers of the Nigerian Army opened fire on unarmed protesters; killing scores in the process. But the casualty figure and proof of it have remained a burden to the masterminds of the fake news. Every avenue of combing for evidence has been exhausted by that witch-hunting the Nigerian Army, but to no avail.
My greatest worry has been that for weeks now, no evidence to align soldiers under the leadership of the COAS Lt. Gen. TY Buratai to any killing has been found. Let’s ignore the desperation of other malicious hunters of Nigerian soldiers.
The anger in me bubbles more against Falana for specific reasons. I have noticed overtime that Falana is a clandestine third force assiduously working for foreign forces against the destabilizations of Nigeria. This lawyer freely aligns with any agenda hatched towards the destruction of Nigeria.
He is always ready to give the back-up force and with his credentials as a lawyer, and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN). And because of him, his doomsday slayers and soulmates believe absolutely of their protection under the law.
Let’s forget his previous malfeasances in Nigeria coated in his darkened and defiled silk and gown. But a reminder to Falana again, that he had no reason to conspire with the lawfully detained leader of the proscribed Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) or the Shiites in Nigeria, Sheik Ibrahim El-Zakzaky to mislead the country by feigning his severe sickness and endorsing his evil plot to escape from trial in Nigeria to either Iran or Iraq. These are countries globally acknowledged as the fountain and exporters of terrorism world -wide.
We have not known Falana and coy as the first and only human rights campaigners in Nigeria. But rights and social crusaders of the older generation before Falana, such as Chief Gani Fawehinmi, Tai Solarin (both of blessed memory) and even today’s Prof. Wole Soyinka never compromised patriotism to Nigeria despite the anger against Government.
No one is above the law. All of us are subject to the laws of the land, with Falana is also inclusive. Let him show Nigerians concrete evidence of the claimed shooting of #EndSARS protesters at Lekki in Lagos or else, some of us would be compelled to institute a suit against him for instigating national subversion, killings and destructions.
But if Falana fails to find a cogent and certified evidence, he can only return his honour, escape our retaliation and be pardoned, if he bows to nothing less than humility by apologizing for his wrongdoings against his own country. Falana has been getting away with so many instigations of the populace towards violence. So, #EndSARS protests is one wrong too many. He has the right like every other Nigerian to either love or hate President Buhari or Gen. Buratai. But he mustn’t tell injurious and public instigative lies to justify the hatred.
Mr. Rights Lawyer, Falana, time has come for you to take full responsibility for your actions. Already, I have learnt that some people have dragged him to the Internal Criminal Court (ICC) over the #EndSARS scam of Nigeria. It is my conviction that the only path of plain truth left for Falana is to apologize to Nigerians and the rest of the world for this crime and previous ones he has committed against humanity and his country, Nigeria.
Kalu Esq is a legal practitioner and wrote from Lagos.