Men of the Night

Vigilantism in the context in which I first encountered it, is a practice of having a group of young men stand guard and provide "communal protection".


I believe this practice is as old as time, borne out of instinctive male protectiveness to guard and defend property, valuables and loved ones from harm or theft.
Its is not unique to a tribe, so you will find the practice of vigilantism in the Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa and many minority ethnic groups, however these ethnic groups perform their activities in different ways. Vigilante activities or patrols are usually done at night, with the groups making unique sounds to give a sense of safety to others who many happen to be awake at home.


The use of weaponry is also common with vigilantism as growing needs and rising crime trends necessitate though originally, most vigilante groups relied mostly on the use of witchcraft and sorcery to ensure their safety during confrontations or when they have to be engaged in violent attacks. They would make incantations before/during and after or wear amulets to ward off danger. Today, with technological advancement there is a sophistication to the arms and ammunition in possession of vigilante groups.


To the question of it's relevance, one would have hoped that with the existence of law enforcement agencies, vigilante groups would be extinct. This not the case however for many reasons that would be an epistle to write about. However, I can give two of theses reasons. First, is the inefficiency of the police, they are underpaid and not properly trained. Second, is the fact that because of the historical link to the practice of vigilantism, many vigilante groups developed such reputation and social acceptance that they are longer just "night watchmen", they formed civil unions, are registered Associations and openly participate in political propaganda. They are better protection for political leaders who want to secure their lives and willing to use "diabolical" means.


Conclusively, you should know that there is a difference between vigilantism and "cultism". Many people conclude that the practice of vigilantism is the root cause of detrimental effects that have been experienced at the hands of cultism. Though there are many similarities in both - young virile men, confidential society, use of arms, witchcraft, etc, the ideologies behind each activity differs.
They are not assassins or paid killer either, just custodians of a tradition that allows me sleep better at night when I hear their *kock kock kock* and who would go extinct when basic infrastructures work perfectly.

Abnormals

Today I saw an article about a man who was caught with the body of a 2 year old child, stashed away in a suitcase ready to exchange him for promised wealth and fortune borne from the grip of poverty that had muffled his conscience and greed like overgrown weeds in the pasture of his soul. Desperation…pure desperation, and all for what?!

I can only think of the poor innocent child who probably strayed far from the watching reach of his parents -an older brother or sister perhaps. Or lured by promises of sweet treats by a stranger with a smile; or worse of, by the misplaced trust he had place in the familiar face of a neighbor. 

The heart of man is filled with evil, and this atrocity is but a tip of an iceberg of what calamities we are capable of committing. It seems a bit confounding to reason, how a man can take the life of another’s child, yet his are safe in bed; or throw a child up in the air to the sound of giggle, only to silence that same child forever like one blows off a candle…Sad!

Not sad…it’s infuriating! Very infuriating…like a rage of anger flows through my veins! For the poor child whose innocent life was cut short, a bright light snuffled, never to shine. For his family, whose sorrows would be forced to an end only too quickly, as they cannot mourn such a young child. For the community where this event has taken place, stigmatized and weary, suspicious of every neighbors’ intentions. Anger at our stupid society, where this type of occurrence has become so usual, that all we would do is shake our heads and feel some remorse, when only 5mins later we forget it ever happened.

Just wait and think, that little 2 year old could have been anybody…your brother, sister, child, niece, nephew, pupil…and most importantly, you!! YES! You! 

It’s no longer acceptable for us to feel sad and push aside these types of atrocities as “event of our times”! They are abnormalities and shouldn’t be allowed to become normal occurrences. And we have the power to change these things, in whatever little or seemingly insignificant way. We always have a choice to change things...make the right choice. (view story here)

I'm tired

I Need Rest!

But I would first of all, will become attuned to the practice of blogging - hopefully about intelligent topics, but seen as the term "intelligent" is very subjective and open to criticism, I leave contributors to judge content. However, the objective is settled - analyze, criticize, edify and amplify interesting issues/topics by sharing "intelligent" opinions.

You would imagine that at this stage of tiredness, there would be no need to acquire such new habits. Quite the opposite, there is still so much to research and and learn about. This I find fascinating and compiling indeed. Thus join me as I lounge in this haphazard state of blissfulness...rambling, musing, gaining insight and most importantly, educating your's truly - the most tired queen of "Oringo".