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Toyin Sokefun-Bello is the popular gospel music artiste known as TY Bello. Back in 2008 her hit song ‘The Land is Green’ dominated the airwaves. The song was an anthem of hope, resilience and national pride.
The lyrics declare that despite difficult seasons, God’s promise of harvest remains, that the land is green and full of blessings.
Today the land is turning from green to red as news after news of killings break out, so frequently that the blood of citizens now flows like river across the landscape of the country. Since the past 18 years when that song was released, compared to what is obtainable currently, the land is no longer green, but covered with the red colour of human blood of wasted citizens. Flashing red light has always signifies danger. Red associates with blood.
Today, from the East to the West and North to the South of Nigeria, the blood of the innocent now flows like a river.
When I was growing up, the sight of blood was sacred. It was not a daily sight. Of course could get a cut and scrape while playing, and little blood would drip from the wound. But that is not the case today. Deaths resulting from frequent by terrorists, jihadists, armed Fulani herdsmen, bandits, kidnappers and murderers now make it seem like human life has become so cheap. On the road, there are killings.
Some instances of killings leave people stunned and deeply shocked to the bone marrow. Take for example, the murder of Chief Godwin Adimike, who was stabbed to death by his 21-year-old biological son in the early hours of the fateful day. Adimike was a billionaire businessman who dealt in electronics. It is one of the most shocking news breaks of the past week, which set social media on fire. On May 15, 2026, Late Chief Adimike popularly known as Ego-na-eje-ije Na Awka-Etiti, Anambra State.
The tragic incident took place at the family’s home located at No 3, Hassan Adamu Street, Guzape, in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. Adimike was rushed to Karu General Hospital where doctors on duty pronounced him dead.
On social media, netizens did not hold back in the comment section. They had a lot to say about the son, and wondered how a son nurtured to early adulthood, a university graduate and corpsmember supposedly engaged in national youth service could commit such dastardly act against his own father.
In the same vein, the killer arrow of the devil found 2-year-old Wendy Achumba, who was assaulted severally before she was killed in a gruesome manner. Achumba was a student nurse of Our Mercy College of Nursing, Umulogho, Obowo in Imo state. She was alone in her lodge located off-campus at Umudara Village, Obowo, when her assailants broke into her room and sent her to an early grave. Reports had it that Wendy had completed her midwifery programme and was undergoing her post-basic studies before she was brutally killed. It was said that after being assaulted, the main assailant beheaded her because she rejected his advances. Luckily, youths and vigilante in the community mobilized, initiated investigation, tracked down and apprehended the alleged prime suspect, a local vulcanizer named Onyema Okonkwo and his accomplice, Henry. The land is red.
On May 15, 2026, just before the celebration of Children’s Day last week, some children and their teachers from Community High School, Ahoro-Esinele, located in Ahoro-Esinele Community, Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State were abducted and as at the time of writing this piece were still being held hostage. A two year old child strapped at her mother’s back has been inside the bush for almost two weeks now, with little or no food inside the bush. The callous abductors sent videos where the school children were manhandled and tortured inside the bush. What was the offence of these children? They woke up, got dressed and went to school where they were kidnaped and matched into the bush. Most shocking was that one of their teacher’s was gruesomely be-headed in the bush. Blood is flowing into the soil. Only God knows what will happen to those children. The land is really red.
What about a couple that supposedly lived happily. According to social media reports, the man impregnated another lady. The wife did not make noise, she just killed him with poison because he cheated on her and deserved to die.
Oh bloody May. A female naval warrant officer reportedly died after a superior ordered her to perform punishment exercises under the sun. The incident allegedly took place at the Nigerian Navy Sickbay in the Gowon Estate area of Iyana Ipaja, Lagos.
On May 6, 17-year-old Thompson Adams who was on the edge of a promising future met his sudden death. His hope of securing admission and making it great in life was tragically cut short, leaving his family shattered. Thompson left home after informing his family that he wanted to visit a childhood friend, Emmanuel, 23, at Abraham Adesanya area of Ajah, Lagos. Thompson and Emmanuel were once classmates at Army Day Cantonment School, Ikeja. After losing contact for years, they reconnected through social media. It emerged that Emmanuel invited Thompson with intent to kill him because he was from a wealthy family. When they were arrested, Emmanuel and his accomplice Tony Ogenata, 21, confessed to the crime. Ogenata said: “When we finished tying him up, his friend Emmanuel called me into the room and said, “This guy is a friend from old times, and he knows me and a lot about me. If we let this guy go, he will definitely come back for me, so we need to kill him and I said okay.
“I strangled him and held him for about a minute. When I got tired, Thompson was still half alive, I told him I was tired and could not do it anymore, Emmanuel also held the guy and choked him the same way I did until the boy became still.” After murdering Thompson, cold-hearted, demon-possessed duo disposed the body in a canal in Awoyaya and fled to their parents’ home at Ikorodu, where they were apprehended.
More blood flowing:a 65-year old transport manager was allegedly killed by his security details in the Ajah area of Lagos. The victim, Chief August Nwalieze, was ruthlessly hacked to death with machete. His body was discovered in the downstairs flat of his house with multiple cuts to his head and body. Family members became suspicious when they noticed his cars were still parked at home and he was not answering his phone. When questioned, the gateman gave conflicting stories about his whereabouts before fleeing the premises.
Dear Nigerians, how is that people have so heartless and hardened like granite? To the extent young boys are increasingly be actively involved in killing others. Despite the little consolation that the perpetrators are often arrested, the deeper pain is that destinies are abruptly ended by these gruesome killings, causing blood to flow like a river in the land.
