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The Repenting Thugs and Robbers

Written by Habib Yakoob

Friday, 05 October 2007

It is a good thing that robbers and political thugs are confessing and abandoning their old ways in some states where they have terrorized and unleashed mayhem on innocent people over a long period of time.

In Kano, a couple of days ago, for example, some fourteen notorious armed robbers came forward to confess their sins: they told the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero that they used to be high way robbers and now were prepared to give up the bad profession and live a clean life because of what they called President Umaru Yar'Adua efforts to improve the lives of Nigerians.

One report mentioned that the guys, said they were quitting in the spirit of ramadhan – which looked to me more plausible than this public relations fling that it was because government was prepared to improve someone’s life. The guys also said they were prepared to work with the government to fish out the rest of the bad guys, advising them to come forward like themselves before the long arm of the law caught up with them.

In Bauchi state, came another confession and repentance ceremony, when over 1000 members, according to reports, of certain political thugs known as Sara-suka publicly renounced their membership, submitted their tools of operation and vowed not to go back.

In a country where robbers and political thugs daily harass our lives, that only about one thousand and fourteen of them are confessing is like a sip from an ocean.

We expect that more of these robbers and thugs, first in the same states, would come forward like their colleagues and do the same. We also expect that their counterparts in the rest of the 34 states and Abuja would follow suit. These would include the Adedibu boys and functional thugs of other godfathers and godmothers.

Let it be said that this column is aware of the fact that you can’t have every robber and thug confessing, but if a large number would do that, life would have been more interesting in this country.

However, while this move is appreciated, it is also important that the senior bothers and sisters of these robbers and thugs be made to also come forward, confess and renounce their trade: these include all those who have looted the country’s treasure by any means, including former and serving governors, former heads of state, local council chairman and others.

In doing this, they should also be prepared to forfeit at least all or certain percentage of what they have stolen. The bigger thugs are the hired killers, with sophisticated network, who in the last couple of years, bestrode our political space like a colossus. Of course, as they confess they shouldn’t expect that we are going to embrace them and say you are welcome to the sane world, a relatively mild punishment would be meted out to them for joining the bad world in the first place. We thank those who have made these one thousand and fourteen “former” bad boys to come forward, to spread their network to other states.

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