I read this piece in tears. The graphic description of the happenings that fateful morning by Chief Kayode who unfortunately was a witness to say the least was harrowing, despicable and beyond human comprehension
The killings, disembowelling and savagery of the fateful morning have been documented severally, but Chief Fawehinmis’s description brought it all home to me in technicolour.
As I read, I felt shame for the institution that bred these people.
Which institution trained and gave direction to a group of people who lost all humanity and behaved like wild animals drunk with the blood of their victims
As I read, what came to my mind was that these were soldiers who slept and woke up with some of their victims, soldiers who shared es spirit de corp with some of their victims and soldiers who swore an oath to defend the nation who now turned to blood thirsty hooligans who went on a killing binge losing all sense of dignity
I mean these were not insurgents or a foreign killer band but soldiers trained and molded by our own Army.
Imagine attending a party with the victim in his house, served by his wife, only to go back there the next morning to butcher him in front of his family.
Chief Kayodes experience was also very painful. How do you beat up and humiliate a man in front of his wife and children cos of a revolution – what yeye revolution?
A deputy Premier of the Western Region, a colourful politician and a father and husband, and you beat him up, drag him on the floor, threaten his life in front of his family?
Whatever happened to dignity? Why not arrest him and take him away with his dignity intact? Why all the savagery?
One was killed on his bed directly in front of his pregnant wife.
What did they even do to deserve such gruesome treatment?
Corruption was the main accusation, so cos of that , you will cut off someone’s testicle, tie him to a Landrover and drag him on the road till nothing is left?
The counter-coup that came was also almost at the same level of barabic intent
What kind of soldiers did the colonial Govt beqeath to us? If you see their profile, you will see Sandhurst and all sorts of esoteric training, all failing to hide the butchering in their DNA.
I am not interested in issues like religion, politics and all that we would want to throw up as reasons for this.
Not even interested in the least, my concern being the savages we had put in uniform at that time of our history.
The civil war that came, broke all records in savagery. Hunger was weaponised and vile wickedness was unleashed with the world taking sides.
It is for these reasons and more that we pray against a reoccurrence.
We must, as a people, fight never to allow such savagery to visit us again, at least not from our own Army.
Good governance, the enthronement of fair play, justice and equity are strong bulwarks against a repeat of such madness.
It was a shame.
Come and beat me
Thanks
Duke of Shomolu
