Nigerian Women in Black say "Enough is enough"

“There has been a wave of prayer gatherings and peaceful demonstrations since the last insane attack on some communities, particularly Dogo na Hauwa village in Jos South local government area of Plateau state where close to 500 people, mostly women and children, were affected. I saw women wail and men weep at the sight of women and children burnt and/or hacked down in cold blood. The sight of the carnage left a lot to be wondered about on the future of humanity if human kind can debase one of its own in such a manner and many wondered for what purpose? If it was to instill fear, establish dominance or draw out a compromise, it failed because every sane human being saw the senselessness of it, which made it even more infuriating. Some refer to it as politically motivated, some ethnic and many more religious but then, what nomenclature makes it the right or an acceptable thing to do?

March 11, the Thursday following the Sunday of the attack, was declared Black Thursday by women on the Plateau and Plateau women living in other parts of the country. Women from all over the country also joined in to protest this vileness against women and children. Thousands of women in black marched out on the streets of Jos and Abuja. Their agony was palpable and their message was clear: “Enough is enough” with the spate of violence that has engulfed a city that remains one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the Country and was once the most peaceful. The recurrent unrest has become nothing short of an embarrassment to everything we stand for as a people. Why would women and children be deliberately targeted despite the local, national and international instruments designed to protect them in conflict situations? Our sincerity to the ratification of these instruments is called into question by this unimaginable act and this should perhaps serve as a wakeup call to re-evaluate our commitment.

We took a trip to Dogo na Hauwa on Easter Sunday. It had become a shadow of itself. Some homes had one or two survivors and some none at all. Disillusionment was evident on the faces of many, particularly young people, and not even a ghost of a smile on their expressions. What they feel can only be imagined. The sight of the community church brought tears to my eyes, a few people were going about their Easter service, clapping hands and playing plastic buckets for drums in the ruins of their burnt church and fervently holding on to faith for comfort and as some emphasized, ‘to learn to forgive’. That was what they believed Easter meant to them. I admired the faith and resolve of the community to move past the tragedy that had befallen them. One thing I keep wondering, though, is how unshaken our faith will remain in an event of a reoccurrence or when there is an absolute absence of justice in handling the perpetrators and sponsors of such shameful acts.”