How Buhari prevents a Shia revolution

Armed to the teeth in their chador, jalabiya and carrying deadly placards embossed with pictures of their leader, members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, aka Shia Muslims thronged the gates of our Irrational Assembly late last week. Officially, they were protesting the unlawful detention of their leader, Sheikh Ibraheem el-Zakzaky. But everybody knew they had one agenda in mind – to take over democracy. They did it in Iran where they shushed the puppet Shah and installed the era of the Ayatollah

Most people do not know that these followers of Imam Ali, have never believed in democracy. Their ringleader, el-Zakzaky has been in detention now for almost four years in spite of court orders for his bail. These protesters want him released to actualise the total Islamization of Naija that Muhammadu Buhari and Yemi Osinbajo have failed to do through the RUGA backdoor.

The police, with among others, duty to protect our dibo koo se bẹ, vote and earn your chop money type of democracy swung into action to prevent that. Our police ever loyal to every government in power to whom the people especially opposition members mean nothing.

Our gallant police have been known to kill anyone or group that stands against the status quo. For instance, a no-nonsense police officer publicly executed Mohammed Yusuf, the first leader of the Boko Haram under camera lenses. That way the officer shortened the long arms of the law. Yet, hecklers got this gallant officer to trial instead of promotion, that is why we now have a bloody Boko Haram.

But for culling by the police, restless youths would have taken over the country with their lawless idealism. Police summary execution has kept them in line. Globally accepted traits punishable by summary execution include wearing dreadlocks, carrying backpacks, driving cars and sometimes the random act of just walking around, a crime called wandering. We would have lost foreign exchange to Apple phone makers but for the police. Everyone knows someone who has been victimised but we love our police. We believe their fibs especially when on dealing with religious extremists of which the Shia are chief.

Having dislodged the kidnappers terrorizing the Kaduna – Abuja highway after effectively letting them take over, the police have been outsmarted by the Shia who migrated to Abuja hiding their weapons – placards of el-Zakzaky. With that bazooka, they shot and wounded two law officers and provoked mass arrest of at least 40 of their rank.

It is a well-known fact that El-Zakzaky is a gunrunner. In the early days of Sai Baba’s administration, his men had blocked the blaring convoy of an army general. They almost lynched the officer who came down to plead for right of way. The general beat tactical retreat, and returned at night with the unknown soldiers who then murdered over 300 Shia whose sound sleep and snoring is more dangerous than the march of a thousand American commandos.

Given these antecedents, one wonders why people question what really happened at the gates of The Dome. If the police had treated these guys with kids’ gloves, it would have resulted in spending precious time needed to catch and prosecute the last thieves that tampered with the mace. Those were the days when current deputy President Obarisi Ovie Ọmọ-Agege was rehearsing for leadership challenges. Our democracy cannot afford democratic niceties with someone like Zakzaky so closely aligned with a wounded Bukola Saraki.

Who says our police have learnt nothing about civilised crowd control? Our officers and their men and women (please read rank and file); have earned garlands for their global peace keeping efforts. How come nobody asks why the Shia always hold hands and form rings when they protest. Methinks it’s to stop police detecting hidden weapons such as placards berating civilian autocracy. The rational question should have been, how remnants always escape the pogrom. These guys have hostile Sunni neighbours coupled with the mighty hostility of the state.

The police arrested 40. They picked prisoners under intense provocation – that is restraint. Why take prisoners when you could annihilate them? Of course, the world might make noise, but they soon move on to the next scandal. Only last night, people were accusing Mohammed bn Salman of complicity in the murder of Jamal Khassogi. Trump doesn’t buy that crap for a minute and, but for her narcissism, Nicki Minaj would’ve been smiling to the bank with millions of Saudi Riyals for displaying her assets. That kind of proposition would’ve caused riots everywhere in Naija with the mandate to prevent the pollution of Allah’s ordained religion.

President Muhammadu Buhari should be commended for keeping a wounded el-Zakzaky when he could have ordered him killed. Only stupid courts fail to realize this. A good judiciary would’ve asked government whether or not it is willing to release a political detainee detained for his own good instead of making pronouncements capable of casting the rule of law in bad light. Just because we hold elections doesn’t mean we truly understand or are willing to subscribe to democratic best practices.