Graffiti

Unknown soldier

Published

3 years ago

October 28, 2020

Fela’s kalakuta Republic had been burnt down. His wives had been raped, he was physically assaulted and bundled into jail. There was an outcry.How could soldiers deal with a private citizen with so much force? Remember we were just a few years away from the civil war so the recklessness and the messianic tendencies of the Army was still rife. Fela was humiliated, battered and almost dehumanized.

The dust settled like it usually does and the panel was set up. The citizenry knew it was a Kangaroo structure but still waited to hear what it had to say, not that it mattered. Then it landed, they said they were unknown soldiers. The brilliance of these submission still rankles and still resonates decades after. I would have loved to have met that brain. That genius that came up with such a brilliant middle-of-the-road submission that brought everything to an end. That level of intelligence could rival that of the biblical Solomon who in a burst of brilliance had asked the baby to be sawed in two. Unknown soldier was up on that street. Yes it protected the overlords and still gave the public some level of closure. After all, Fela sang- if na Unknown Soldier wetin concern government inside.

Today, the Unknown Soldier is looking like he has sent his descendants on another visit. The Lekki grounds were awash with visionary youths. Youths that had assembled to demand for a better deal in the system. It was a carnival. Music, food and dance was the order of the day. They loved each other and celebrated each other rising above the petty strife that encapsulated adult society.

Meanwhile, some kilometers away in far away Ijora mayhem and violence was the order of the day. The Police DPO was said to have run amok and the people returned fire for fire. Mushin the scary suburb had gone up in flames and there were skirmishes in some parts of the city.

But the unknown soldier like his ancestors chose the soft target, the unnamed and bohemian enclave the Lekki toll gate had become to strike. They were said to have moved in, reportedly shot into the crowd and rustling up a stampede that injured many and may be killed some. The dead is being disputed in some quarters and records are being written and rewritten, depending on what side of the fence you find yourself.

What, however, is fact is that there were gunshots as could be attested to by live feeds from ground zero. People have reported in nearby hospitals with gun shot wounds and canisters have been picked on the floor. But who gave the order and who are these soldiers? Authorities first drew blank and started going towards the home of the unknown soldier but this is not the 70s where you didn’t have social media and an up to the minute devices that could record and disseminate to millions.

As the authorities began their game, with the Lagos State governor leading the pack with all sort of half truths and bare faced lies, the people started releasing all sort of damming and incriminating evidences that the theory of the unknown soldier is looking naked.

The unknown soldier couldn’t have done this with the mounting evidence that is being released per second. The unknow soldier probably had died after Kalakuta and his nefarious activity didn’t give him enough room to sire a descendant. So he could not have done this.

This was done by real people and they must be brought to book to finally give us closure and firmly put us on the path to true healing.

AUTHOR: Joseph Edgar…

Articles published in our Graffiti section are strictly the opinion of the writers and do not represent the views of Ripples Nigeria or its editorial stand.

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