Thread by @SKefason

It is imperative we all know that justice preceeds peace.

In other words, there can never be peace until justice is served in fairness to all regardless of their tribes, religion, class or ethnicity.

It is quite unfortunate that this is not the case in Nigeria, we often want to

force some imaginary peace down the throats of people who have been offended for instance killed for no justifiable reason.

The IMN aka Shiites in Kaduna is a typical example of how Nigeria has denied justice to a people because of their religious beliefs or expression.

In December 2015, the IMN witnessed one of the worse genocide meted against a group since the Nigerian civil war.
Their members were attacked and massacred in their hundred by the Nigerian army, their multi million naira Hussainiya was destroyed completely, their leader had

several of his children killed in one day, himself and his wife were injured and arrested and even as I type this tweet they are still in detention.

During my 162 days in Kaduna Prison I came in contact with the IMN members who were arrested and jailed in their hundreds

and have been awaiting trial since December 2015.

They've been divided into smaller groups and each group is standing trial before a different judge and a court.

Some groups have been discharged and acquitted as the prosecution could not provide evidence to convict them,

and in many occasions they are discharged and acquitted after spending years in jail with nobody even telling them sorry.

Prior to my release from prison in October 2019 a group was also discharged. Few days to their release I had a chat with one of them popularly known as

Engineer who I was told is a trained Engineer, he told me how his life has been shattered by his long stay in prison, he told me how he is thinking of how to start life afresh.

Another told me a similar story, he is a young man of about 27, he said he was in 200l when they were

attacked and subsequently sent to Prison, he said to me "I don't even know where to start from when I go out, my education is gone, am just confused walahi".

These injustices are not peculiar to the IMN alone as many Nigerians have also tasted such in one way or the other.

We've had communities raided by Fulani terrorist herdsmen, hundreds killed and yet not a single person has ever been prosecuted for these crimes against humanity.

Victims and survivors of these pogrom sometimes have to live and see their attackers walking freely while their loved ones are sent to jail for either protesting the massacre or trying to defend themselves. It is important to note that under the @OfficialAPCNg government, self-

defense is outlawed and those who have attempted to defend themselves from terrorists herdsmen have found themselves in jail. I met a couple of such in Prison.
I met one Mr Simon Daniel from Southern Kaduna who was sent to jailed for simply possessing a locally made gun for the

purpose of self defense in his community, Mr Simon told me how his community has been repeatedly attacked by the terrorists.
Mr Simon spent over 6 months in prison before he was granted bail.

From Benue, Kaduna, Adamawa, Taraba, Zamfara, Niger, Nasarawa, Enugu, Kogi, Sokoto etc the story remains the same as victims of these genocidal attacks are yet to get justice instear the government have always come to offer them peace deals that have proven to be ineffective

on many if not all occasions.

SOLUTIONS
Like I said in my opening lines, peace can only be attained when justice is served. The government must as a matter of urgency ensure that the IMN and IPOB members, and all other victims of these mindless attacks get justice ASAP.

Compensation must be paid to those who have been jailed only to be discharged and acquitted by the court, this will enable their wounds heal fast and also enable them to pick broken pieces of their lives and moved on.

Perpetrators of such genocides be it the security or the terrorists must be brought to book and prosecuted according to the laws of the land ASAP as justice delayed is justice denied.

State governors must desist from making inflammatory utterances capable of inciting the public like we had prior to the general elections in Kaduna.
State government must also ensure that where compensation is to ba paid, it must be paid to all parties involved and not just

a party like in the case of Kaduna where compensations were only paid to the killer herdsmen while the communities that bury their dead in hundred and with thousands of IDPs have to rely on helps from individuals, churches and NGOs to survive.

The IMN leader, his wife and all other Political prisoners must as a matter of urgency be released by the government.

Once again, Justice preceeds peace, where there is no justice peace becomes an illusion.

Steven Kefason