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Neighbour: Good afternoon, mama baby. where are you coming from in this hot weather? By the way, do you realize that you are wearing the back of your blouse?
Mama baby: Good afternoon, neighbour. I received a message this morning, somebody called me with a private number asking me to come with 10 million Naira to pay for the release of my daughter.
Neighbour: My God! Which of your daughters and when did this happen?
Mama baby: (still in tears, weeping and in a cracky voice) It is that my daughter that just graduated from the university and waiting for her call up letter for Youth Service. She told me she was going for a Christmas program in the community School at the local government headquarters near the market square . I learnt that some gun men invaded the place and abducted over 50 of them at the program including my daughter( Mama baby weeping profusely).
Neighbour: (draws closer to mama baby) Please, don’t cry, though this is heartbreaking.Please, believe in God. He will surely intervene. So, were are you coming from?
Mama baby: (wiping her tears with her wrapper) I went to the police station.
Neighbour: What did the police say?
Mama baby: When I got there, I saw so many police men and soldiers-all wielding guns. I could not talk to anybody but I saw other parents whose children were also abducted. One of them is the Principal of the Community school.He said the leader of the rescue team asked us the parents to go and pray and believe that God will do the rest. According to him, the kidnappers came in so many motorcycles and whisked their victims away into the thick forest along the highway to the neighbouring town.
Pastor: Neighbour,what is happening here? Neighbour, did you hear that some children were kidnapped last night?
Neighbour: Yes, mama baby’s daughter was among those kidnapped.
Pastor: My God!!! What is happening in this country? Whenever you tune into the radio, the news you hear is all about kidnapping. And when you pick the newspapers the same sad news all over the front pages. Truly, we are in a time the holy scripture described as end time.
Neighbour: You are absolutely, right Pastor. The news of the abduction is everywhere. Even the President told journalists that he had directed the security chiefs to ensure the safety of the kidnapped victims who are manily teenage girls. Let’s believe God they will come back alive and unhurt. Each time I hear teenage girls have been kidnapped, I feel concerned and sad because of the ugly stories that follow such kidnappings.
Pastor: Infact, I recall when our church headquarters was invaded last two years, do you know that five of the terrorists were said to have forcefully raped one of our female members who was on holidays from abroad. Unfortunately, she got pregnant for the terrorist and her pastor asked her not to abort the baby.
Mama baby: (mama baby cuts in) So, what happened to the baby? Please, don’t tell me the terrorist baby is still alive.
Pastor: Unfortunately, the Elders Council in her church suggested that the baby should be sent to a motherless baby home or a orphanage home.
Mama baby: I pray nothing like this happens to my daughter. ( Starts sobbing).
Neighbour: All these problems are the result of failure at home, failure of our political leaders and also the government. I believe it is the government that can stop this insecurity. Please, mama baby and pastor reason with me, I am a Political Science graduate with many years experience. Whenever there is decadence and corruption in the society it is as a result of parental failure. Many years ago, Nigerians were exposed to movies known as Nollywood. Many of the movies were about kidnapping and payment of ransom. I believe that most of today’s kidnappers were kids watching such movies back then, they were influenced by the movies.They believe that kidnapping is the fastest way of making money, including the evil act of Yahoo Yahoo. Today, the country is enmeshed in the atrocities of kidnappers who were viewers kidnapping movies many years ago. They are now perpetrating what they viewed to the detriment of the entire country. Had the government agency responsible for the regulation of movies sanctioned the producer of these attrocious movies, the ugly situation we face today would have been nipped in the bud. I now know import of the saying “evil communication corrupts the minds of the innocent”. Our children of yesteryears were corrupted by unrestrained exposure to evil movies.
Pastor: You are very very correct, neighbor.
Mama baby: So, who is supposed to rescue my daughter? Is it the government or the police or the army? All I want is the safety of my daughter. I am tempted to ask where were these police men and soldiers when these girls were abducted and carried away on motorcycles?
Pastor: I learnt they came in several motorcycles but the question still remains, were no policemen and soldiers on road blocks and on patrols?
Do you know how long the motorcycle convoy will be? They will carry two girls per motorcycle and they will ride through the highway without any police checkpoint?
Neighbour: (Cuts in) Is that not why security experts have consistently suggested that there should be cctv cameras on every highway and road in the states?
Mama baby: All these big grammar do not concern me. All I am begging those in authority is too ensure that my daughter returns home unhurt, I’m begging them not to allow my daughter spend Christmas in the terrorists’ den.
Pastor: I will take it upon myself to fast and pray for your children and other children in captivity. Madam, please take it easy God will show Himself the way He save the children of Israel from the hands of Pharoh. Please, don’t forget to tell me when you hear any good news. God bless and keep you
Mama baby: Thank you so very much, Pastor. Please, pray that God will touch the hearts of the terrorist so that wi release my daughter o, I don’t want her stop Christmas in captivity!
Postscript: The characters in this conversation are imaginary, fictitious.The conversation is also fictional…just to illustrate a likely real life scenario in terms of security challenges Nigeria is facing.
Congratulations!
Security file wishes to congratulate an avide reader of this column, MA Imam who was recently promoted to the rank of Air Commodore and posted to take charge of the Air Force base, Ikeja, Lagos.
We pray that your wealth of experience will bring the desired impact in the Air Force base
Congratulations, once again!!!
