Like ‘Yan Sara Suka in Bauchi, Kalare in Gombe and ‘Yan Daba in Kano, Adamawa State is battling to contain a new scourge that is making Yola, the state capital and its environs inhabitable.
The miscreants popularly known as ‘Yan Shila or Shila Boys have become the nightmare of Jimeta and Yola residents. Day and night, residents are left at the mercy of these hoodlums unchallenged. They attack, extort, maim and kill with neither fear nor remorse.
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Recently, a Kankara abducted student granted an interview and described their abductors as “tiny boys with big guns”. My heart immediately skipped a beat! The first description captures my subject of discourse. Unlike the Katsina instance, Adamawa Shila syndicate though also “tiny boys” but not yet “with big guns” but “big machetes” which they use in hacking and stabbing residents daily. In some instances, some use nail and hammer on Keke riders posing as passenger and ending up hammering the riders on the head to snatch their tricycles.
As the state continues counting victims, this vice that is gradually consuming the state poses a great challenge to these three critical stakeholders: government, the security agencies and the community.
Just like the former V-P Atiku Abubakar once claimed in one of his interviews with BBC that Boko Haram was a product of politicians’ “use and dump”, residents have also been pointing accusing fingers at the political class. Our politicians have aided and abetted this scourge through securing the release of these nuisances whenever arrested. Security agencies have also been groaning over the interference of some vested interests.
As the community continues to bear the brunt, with less or no help from those vested with the responsibility of protecting lives and properties, it is pertinent to draw their attention to the saying that “A stitch in time saves nine”. It is evident that lack of political will in taming the scourge of the Shila is a serious setback on the urgent need to bringing an end to this vice. As a matter of necessity, government has the ultimate and urgent responsibility of according maximum support to our security agencies and holding them responsible if they fail to nip this problem in the bud.
It is frightening to note that this problem has gotten to a stage where all social and political gatherings in Yola are invaded by the Shila boys as a result of inactions of the authorities concerned.
Unfortunately, this failure of the constituted authorities to act within the ambit of the law has now given birth to an unholy practice by some communities of administering what they term justice by burning these boys alive wherever they are caught in the nefarious act.
The government should stop dragging its foot and face the realities. Communities must also give government the desired support.
Adamu Ibraheem Jimeta.
