One of Nollywood’s leading filmmakers, Charles Novia has added his voice to Nigerians condemning the mob beheading of a Christian Igbo woman, Mrs. Bridget Patience, by a Muslim mob in a Kano Market.
[dropcap]It’s murder, what happened in Kano a couple of days ago. Murder.
Not religion. Murder.
A group of bloodthirsty fanatics beheaded a young woman, over spurious and unfounded allegations of blasphemy.
Reports say her husband, who rushed out to try to save his wife was almost beheaded as well, if not for the timely intervention of some people.
What was her crime? I read that she asked some people praying in front of her shop not to block her entrance with their kettles and stuff so that she could do business. And that was it. For even daring to say such a thing, the murderers accused her of blasphemy and beheaded her. The wife of a pastor.
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They must have targeted that family for sometime. Those fanatics must have known that she’s of another region, of another religion and worst of all to them, a wife of an ‘infidel’. So this might have been premeditated murder.
They killed her and paraded her head round the city, chanting hooting songs and a frenzied crowd cheering them on as well.
Yet, not one word so far from the religious leaders in Kano. Not one word from the Emir of Kano, nor the Imams.
Not one word from the president.
That woman must get Justice. Justice. Her killers must be apprehended and prosecuted.
Those who think this is a small incident are gravely mistaken. When a tinderbox explodes, it’s just a small spark which sets it off.
This union is not working. No citizen should ever be made to feel like a second class citizen in his or her country, either by tribe or politics or religion.
This union is not working.
To make it work, revisit the dialogue we have had, the recent being the 2014 National Conference.
May the soul of Bridget haunt her killers and their children.
#JusticeforBridget
Charles Novia is an award-winning filmmaker. He is founder of November Productions and November Records. Connect with him on Facebook.
The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author.
