The Hunter and the Hunted

Either of both can fall prey to the other but the hunter is believed to have an advantage over the 'hunted' because of the predisposition. Summarily put that the police is meant to be the hunter and the criminal- the hunted.
Laws are put in place to govern the land (in a quest for moral justification), so any violation of such laws is termed crime and the perpetrators- criminal. Most of the crimes you know as I do, are found among the politicians (who are supposed to be role-models) and the police (who is supposed to combat crime). this is probably the reason why crime has proved difficult to be eradicated.
Nevethless, the police is poised to combat crime but should be better equipped. It is obviously a 'suicide mission' when a police with a .38 or .45 special faces a criminal who has a machine gun. Some policemen who carry AK-47 dont even have enough bullet to keep it active. How about helicopters and good communication gadgets? these incentives are for better crime-combat but it is only in the movies that I see such sophistications.
Besides, a hunter is supposed to study the prey and be knowledgeable in his behaviour. A criminal will always leave a trace behind, it is left for the police to pick it up. When captured, the criminal should be studied so as to have an insight to the tactics en-vogue. The policemen should (during their leisure times) watch good crime movies and play crime games for better education. What is worth doing is worth doing very well; we are losing lives and with the present situation, I doubt if the police is the hunter and the criminals- the hunted.

Ritual-killing or election?

Just last two weeks, a couple sacrificed their wad to ritual-killers, though under duress. The couple with their children were driving along a road in Enugu, coal city state of Nigeria, when they sighted a pregnant woman yelling ‘help!’ The man’s wife suggested that they stop and check but the man defiantly drove on. When it appeared the matter might bring a serious misunderstanding between him and his wife, the man reversed and just in the process of helping the pregnant woman, some men appeared and asked the man to choose one of his kids whom they would part with.
No doubt the men were armed and the man finally succumbed to their demand. He fled with his remaining family at their command and shortly afterwards returned to the scene with some policemen whom he met at a road block ahead but all they could see at the scene was the headless body of his child. A critical analysis of this situation (knowing it could happen to anyone) leaves one wondering if this is just all about ritual-killing or if it has a link with the forthcoming elections.

The pen and the gun

“The pen is mightier than the sword”, now the gun. I grew up to understand ‘the pen’ as being ‘diplomacy’ and ‘the sword’ as ‘force’, now I see that quote in a different light.
It is apparent that armed robbers are doing a lot of damages to our economy both directly and indirectly. Some of these men and women are armed with gun while others are armed with pen; surprisingly, only those armed with gun are castigated.
A hungry man steals two thousand naira (N2000) and spends years behind the bar ‘awaiting trial’, an influential exploitative elite steals five million naira (N5m) and a committee is formed to probe the matter; of course the committee will need a mobilization sum of three million naira (N3m) and no action is taken after their clumsy investigation.
It is high time we called a spade ‘a spade’ and not an ‘agricultural implement’. This thing flows from the top; even those who seem to be morally upright gets in and joins them. If its taproot is destroyed, the plant will wither. Remember, it’s a thing of the conscience and will. He is a coward that uses force where diplomacy can thrive; the pen is mightier than the sword.

Nigeria's bastard

The present state of insecurity in Nigeria calls for urgency from all and sundry: everybody has a role to play and since a tree can not make a forest, all hands must be on deck to checkmate this bastard we call our son.
Amnesty has been granted to Niger-delta militants; there have been a re-distribution of law enforcement agents to areas of reported high rates of crime; these are good moves but we can do more than that.
Most of these criminals claim that unemployment is their drive, government should also do something about that after all an idle mind is a devil’s workshop and according to Charles Darwin (1859) there’ll always be a struggle for survival.
Yet, you and I have a major role to play here; probably the most effective. Arrest the criminal and crime will cease; look into a mirror and you will see him. It’s a thing of the mind, if you stop your crime and I stop mine, peace will return to Nigeria.