I was not surprised when I read reports that a large crowd of people trooped out to welcome Hamisu Bala, better known as ‘Wadume’, to his hometown in Ibbi, Taraba State, on Sunday, after serving his jail term for offences of kidnapping and others.
This sort of heroic reception for those who have committed crimes is unfortunately all too common in Nigeria, a symptom of the deep tribal and religious divisions that continue to plague our nation.
Wadume, who was arrested by men of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) of Inspector-General of Police, in 2019, was released from Kuje Prison in Abuja, on Saturday.
According to reports ,he was said to be received by thousands of people, including youths and women in Ibbi town on arrival.
A resident of the town said the town stood at standstill for Wadume, who was described as a philanthropist and local politician before his arrest.
He was driven round the town and thereafter proceeded to visit the Chief of Ibbi chiefdom, Alhaji Salihu Danbawuro, at his palace.
To refresh our memory a little, let us recall that during the attempt to arrest him in 2019 by the IRT over alleged kidnapping, he had enlisted the help of a Captain of the Nigerian Army, who aided his escape from Police custody when the vehicle of the IRT was stopped at a military checkpoint by gunfire and labelled as kidnappers instead, who had attempted at kidnapping Wadume.
Residents of Ibbi town consequently pounced on the Policemen for daring to kidnap their benefactor, killing about three of the elite Policemen and injuring others, a development that attracted national attention to the ugly incident.
Wadume went into hiding thereafter for days before another IRT team led by the now suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, smoked him out from his hideout in Kano metropolis of Kano State.
Three policemen died when this incident happened. Again I ask, how did a kidnapper get less than 10 years or even life imprisonment? We really need to take a deep look at some of our laws and the sentencing guidelines for such heinous crimes.
Like I said previously, I was not really surprised by the heroic welcome he got. In Nigeria, we have a disturbing tendency to view crimes through the lenses of ethnicity and religion.
A crime is only a crime when it is committed by people from other tribes and religions. We rally around “our own” no matter how egregious their offenses.
I vividly remember when former governor of Delta State, James Ibori, got a heroic welcome back home after serving jail term in the United Kingdom for corruption charges.
It was a scene reminiscent of Wadume’s homecoming, with crowds cheering and celebrating a man who had been convicted of looting state funds meant for development.
I also remember seeing comments when the notorious armed robber and kidnapper known as “Vampire” was killed in Imo State. I nearly threw up reading some of the vile comments. Some were saying he was killed because he is from the southeast and if he was from another region he would not have been killed.
This is a notorious kidnapper and armed robber who had caused immense suffering. And the irony is that most of his victims were fellow Igbos.
The same sickening scenario played out when the popular militant Gana was killed in Benue State. Some people saw him as a freedom fighter and were vehemently against his killing, despite the trail of violence and terror he had left in his wake.
Our politicians have perfected the art of dividing us along ethnic and religious lines, and citizens continue to fall for this divisive scam over and over again.
For us to make any real progress in this country, we need to deemphasize ethnicity and religion when it comes to issues of crime and justice. A criminal is a criminal, regardless of their tribe or faith.
We must collectively condemn acts of violence, kidnapping, armed robbery and other crimes without making excuses based on ethnicity or religion.
We must demand equal application of the law and harsh punishment for those who violate it.
Until we get to that point, these sort of shameful homecoming celebrations for convicted criminals will continue. Ethnic champions and religious warriors will keep rallying around their own, no matter how bloody their hands. We will remain stubbornly mired in a cycle of violence, impunity and injustice.
It is time for us as a nation to let go of these primordial sentiments that have held us back for too long. We must see ourselves first as Nigerians, and reject any attempts to divide us against one another. Only then can we build a society of true law and order, where crimes are punished fairly and clearly, without regard to ethnicity or faith.
