October 23rd, 2022, I received a letter that would shatter my false bravado
Headline – Fear has made its home in my country
My country, many times has been out of the frying pan and into the fire
Yet, there is still a quiver in my hands and chest at the whispers of bad news.
My countrymen have had to find new ways to live with the fear
Fear of the unknown, of today, and tomorrow
Fearful of that dreaded call from faceless men, and the words ‘kidnapped’
A loved one has turned hostage material, worth millions in ransom
In a country where millions now are worth fewer millions each day
A country with a lot of fear and a lot to fear.
Suicide rages… Death Beckons!
First it was Boko Haram
Then ISWAP
Then unknown gunmen and bandits
Security Alerts ring loud
Beware of terrorists!
Nature repulsed
Brings in the floods
Her children
Homeless & Hungry
But abandoned by those who swore to serve
Is there no peace for the distraught?
No respite for the troubled?
Nothing left to pillage
Except our own lives
How much worse before we scream?
If countrymen are the problem
Countrymen are the solution
Act now, we must!
To save us from all mortal ills