By Ochereome Nnanna
SECURITY (including general   police work) and journalism belong to professions closely associated with dogs. In the first year of mass communication at the university you are taught that a good newsman must have “nose for the news”. Top dogs such as hyenas and wolves can smell carcasses from a mile off.

The journalist and the police officer are trained to see themselves as “watchdogs” of society. As if to press the matter directly home, policemen and dogs are often trained to work together towards apprehension of criminals.

As “dogs”, journalists and policemen are expected to have the additional capacity to be very suspicious of any information and assert the tenacity to pursue leads and clues until they can exhaustively rule out foul play, particularly when it comes to reporting or dealing with crime or alleged crime, especially these days of violent crimes.

Last week, the newspapers were awash with stories of a man (“suicide bomber” as some newspapers put it!) caught while attempting to plant a suspected explosive device in the premises of a Methodist Church in an Ikorodu suburb. Following an alarm that was raised, a 26 year-old man whose name was given as Olasunkanmi Ismail was apprehended by an irate mob.

Caught in the man’s possession was a bottle with an inscription: “press in case of emergency”, which was suspected to be an explosive. He was reported to have “confessed” to having been sent by “a prominent Nigerian” to bomb the church.

As irate mobs usually do, Ismail would have been lynched but for the timely intervention of the Church’s Presbyter (Vicar), Rev Matthew Ogunsiji, who instead opted to hand him over to the Police. According to the story, when the Police Bomb Squad examined the object it was found to be harmless. After detaining the suspect for a night, the Police was reported to have decided to refer him to a mental hospital because he spoke incoherently and generally behaved like a mentally-ill person.

The Police, having found the object to be “no substance of threat” dismissed the incident as a hoax and as usual, asked members of the public to go about their normal duties. Newsmen reported that members of the man’s family “confirmed” that Ismail had been a mental case for quite some time.

Now, let us process (disambiguate) this information and see if the Police and reporters, as “watchdogs of society” handled it the way they should have done. Later we will discuss why this story which is already being dismissed as a harmless incident must be taken with the seriousness befitting of an early warning signal.

Ismail a suicide bomber? In the first place, why should both
the Police and journalists conclude that Olasunkanmi Ismail was a suspected “suicide” bomber? Assuming that he actually came to plant a bomb, does that make him a “suicide” bomber? Methinks, surely not. A person can plant a bomb and detonate it from a safe distance.

He intends to kill others but he does not want to die. He is not a suicide bomber, even if the bomb accidentally explodes on him and he dies. A suicide bomber wants to die taking as many of his perceived enemies with him as possible. He would not wait to be caught and lynched by a mob.

He would simply detonate the device, killing himself and the prospective mob. Since Ismail did nothing of the sort, he could not have been a suicide bomber. It was a grave misnomer for him to be dubbed as such by journalists and the Police. It was even a graver disservice to society that no editor was able to apprehend this malapropism before it made its way to the public arena.

I must commend Rev Ogunsiji for being a good Christian and citizen by preventing the lynching of Ismail, opting to invite the Police. If Ismail had been lynched the story would be inconclusive, and the uncertainty as to whether the terrorist bombers have arrived in Lagos would be heightened. Though he is keeping sealed lips and acting mad, a living Ismail will eventually be able to lead the Police to the “prominent Nigerian” who reportedly sent him.

Now comes the issue of whether Ismail was “mad” or not. That he was acting erratically and talking incoherently, or that his family members confirmed him to be mentally unsound does not portray any conclusive picture of Ismail’s sanity status. We all watch Nollywood movies everyday and see how easy it is for anyone to play mad and do so convincingly. One of the greatest acts of madness ever seen (by me) in Nollywood was played by no other than ace singer, Onyeka Onwenu! The easiest alibi that comes to anyone caught committing high crimes is mental illness.

Wrong step in the right direction

The Police reported they would send Ismail to a mental hospital to ascertain the real state of his sanity. That is the wrong step in the right direction. Surely, a certified mental institution, such as the Psychiatric Hospital in Yaba, can unravel the mystery of Ismail’s sanity. They have the equipment and the qualified scientists to ascertain that. The right procedure was for the Police to immediately charge Ismail to court for creating a bomb scare and threatening public peace (and any other charges).

They can also report to the judge that Ismail had been acting abnormally. It is the duty of the judge to order the Police to refer Ismail to a certified mental hospital and report findings back to him. That way, the Police will be sure to bring the case back to court for the judge to decide whether to send Ismail to prison or medical attention or both.

The danger in the step police want to take (sending him to a mental hospital without court orders) is that if indeed Ismail is an agent provocateur in the payroll of a “prominent Nigerian” a top official of the Police (or cohort of the terrorist network) can easily be compromised and thrown off the investigation.

Ismail will be allowed to go free, having successfully conducted a test-run of evil acts to come. Even if the Police are serious about following the case to logical conclusion after Ismail’s mental examination, they would still take him to court. And a thorough judge would still order a medical examination conducted under court orders before sending Ismail to jail, mental home or both.

It is important for us to know if (and when) Boko Haram terrorists start targeting Lagos. It is foolish for us, through the naïve and unprofessional conduct of journalists and Policemen, to start insinuating they have arrived when they have not, or that they have not arrived when they have.

If they could hit Abuja, they can hit Lagos, perhaps even more tellingly. However, Abuja and Lagos are not the same in character. Abuja is an artificial city, with mere “mammy” markets and supermarkets, not big markets or industries or productive private businesses. It only has lots of portfolio businesses chasing after government contracts. It is full of government establishments, which Boko Haram likes to target.

On the other hand, Lagos is full of private businesses, industries and markets of international status but rapidly diminishing (federal) governmental presence. If terrorists begin to hit Lagos they will be hitting people, not impersonal government targets. And people could react by isolating the Boko Haram “types” for reprisal. The country will never be the same if and when terrorist’s bombs come down to Lagos.

It is important that we do not leave this matter with the Police. Let the State Security Services move in, working with the Army Joint Task Force (JTF). They will be able to get Ismail to tell the truth about his misadventure in Ikorodu. We can then plug this incident into the national terror tapestry and see if it fits in.

The Ismail saga is of intense security interest and must be comprehensively and decisively interrogated at the highest possible level.

Re: Abuja, corruption is your name

NIGERIAN thieves – when they loot the money, they keep it in SWITZERLAND. When sick, they go to GERMANY. When investing, they go to AMERICA. When buying mansions, they visit LONDON. When shopping they go to DUBAI.

When on holidays, they visit PARIS or the BAHAMAS. When educating their children, they select EUROPE. When praying, they go to SAUDI ARABIA or JERUSALEM. BUT, when they DIE, they all want to be BURIED in NIGERIA.
FUNNY HOW THEY TURN OUR GREAT NIGERIA INTO CEMETERY!?

By: Sherman
Source: People and Politics, Vanguard Online; Monday, April 23rd 2012

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