(Picture Used for Illustrative Purposes Only)
By Umar Shehu
It’s with a heavy emotional pain that I write on this long identified BUT neglected issue of SARA-SUKA among the Hausa Community of Jos and which has been watched gradually metamorphosing into a horrendous, terrifying and demonic status.
Just like Cultism, the initial bone of contention among the waring youths involved in the Sara-Suka (the use of local metallic weapons and other dangerous objects) in attacking and counter-attacking each other usually led to fatal injuries or death, were mere issues of girl-friend tussle or revenge on a particular opponent who must have also attacked, maimed or insulted a member or members of the revenging gang. And it usually ended among them.
Unfortunately, due to the Authority’s and Security Agencies’ neglect in tackling the negative trend that was aggravated and influenced by the uncontrolled proliferation of drugs, parental support and joblessness among the warring youths, the Sara-Suka saga is now taking a different dimension: metamorphosing from gang to gang assault to an innocent public attack on a high, aggressive and ferocious frequency such that the whole affected Community have to run for their lives when the demonic youths suddenly decide to come out carrying all sorts of locally fabricated arms. Everybody becomes terrorized and has to run helter-skelter for their lives. People end up becoming prisoners in their own homes and if not, the result is never a favourable one.
One astonishing and shocking aspect of these drug-addicted youths is their sense of organization to a hundred or more in number to enable them to carry out their dastardly acts with confidence and precision. Their outing for knife-cutting whoever comes their way is tagged SHARA. These rascals play the cats while the innocent public is the rats. Besides terrorizing and maiming innocent people no their age, they have also resorted to damaging people’s cars, shops and any other valuable properties that fall within their sight.
One thing leads to the other: a small-time thief not checkmated graduates to an ‘armed robber’. Because proper measures have not been taken by the severally notified Authorities and Security Agencies, the Sara-Suka youths have grown into enormous gangs that operate at will and alarming magnitude. Such gangs have earlier targeted and maimed the members and even the leadership of two famous voluntary Security Outfits: Neighborhood Watch and Vigilante Group of Nigeria and got away with it. Are these voluntary uniformed security organizations not in place to complement and supplement the efforts of the Government Security Agencies? Are we supposed to live at the mercy of these crooks and hoodlums? Are we not eligible for administrative protection? Are we not entitled to peace and sanity as Nigerians?
These unrestrained criminals are operating just like the proscribed Bandits. And as they are allowed to unleash their terror freely, the city of Jos may have a different narrative.
The Authority’s inaction may subsequently lead to anarchy when the victimized Communities may decide to say “enough is enough” and resolve to defend themselves since those to defend them are not responsible for their duties. And that’s probably when a reprisal attack may adjudge the heavier crime as has been the case in many Nigerian criminal issues.
Crimes, such as phone snatching, armed robbery, cattle rustling, kidnapping, Boko Haram, Cultism etc have all started on a small scale BUT today, they have come to stay with us.
“A WORD IS ENOUGH FOR THE WISE”
Shehu is a concerned citizen of Jos North, Plateau State