Today, I’d like to remember those who have been victims of a culture of hate. Those whose sojourn on this earth have been cut short because they were either CHRISTIANS, BIAFRANS, NON-FULANI or HOMOSEXUAL. I would like to remember those who were raped and killed. I would like to remember those who were killed by trigger happy security personnels.
We remember the Seminarian who was killed in Attakwu, Akagbe Ugwu by Fulani herdsmen. I also remember the father of the seminarian who also died when he was told about the death of his son.
We remember Michael Nnadi, the 18 year old seminarian who was abducted and killed by gunmen in Kaduna.
We remember Chinedu Obi, who was killed by a trigger-happy security personnel simply because he was covered in tattoos, wearing a gold chain and being in possession of an expensive i-phone.
We remember the 15 year old Tina Ezekwe who was hit by the stray bullet of a drunk police officer.
We remember Kolade Johnson who was killed on the 31st of March,2019 at a football viewing centre. He was accidentally shot by officers who were attempting to arrest a man because he was wearing dreadlocks.
We remember Alex Ogbu, a journalist shot on the 21st of January,2020 while covering a protest by the members of the islamic movement in Nigeria
We remember Chima Ikwunado, a mechanic arrested, detained and tortured to death by men of the Nigerian Police Force on the 19th of December,2019.
We remember Precious Owolabi who was shot on the 22nd of July,2019 while covering the confrontation between Shiites and the Nigerian Police Force
We remember Tiamiyu Kazeem, a footballer who was wrongfully profiled as a yahoo boy. He was illegally apprehended by some SARS officials, allegedly pushed out of a moving vehicle by the officers and crushed by an on-coming vehicle.
We remember Fatai Oladipupo, a muslim cleric killed on the 20th of May 2020 by some rogue police officer in Ikotun.
We remember Oluwaseyi Kehinde and Joseph Okonofua, shot and killed by the police during a protest by the students of FUOYE on the 10th of September 2019.
We remember Isaiah Okeranle, a 300 level student of Ambrose Ali University, who was arrested and detained by the police for weeks, only to die few days after his release
We remember the six(6) people who were killed in Apo by trigger-happy officers of the law.
We remember those girls who have been raped and continue to be raped by their fathers, uncles and guardians.
We hope that with each passing day, we learn to treat each other with more love and fight for those who cannot defend themselves.
We hope that we begin to hold men to a higher standard and stop excusing animalistic behaviours.
