SOBER ON MY KNEES ON THE LORD’S DAY: MOTURAYO RAFIU:I Cry for Help…

Today, sober on my knees, I write about the avoidable but yet scarry plight of Motunrayo RAFIU, 22, Law Graduate, kidnapped on her way to the Nigerian Law School, Abuja four days ago to commence her professional education. Her abductors are demanding the sum of 5 Million Naira as ransom before she is released. Her mother is a widow of many years.

I was part of the first set of law graduates admitted to Bwari, Abuja when the Nigerian Law School in 1998 by the grace of Almighty God and the commited support of my late uncle, Chief Gani FAWEHINMI, who did not take no for an answer when I did not make the first list of admission due to the fact that my university overshot its quota.

It was my practice and that of many other students to travel by night bus and we had little or no fear. If we had any fear at all, it was the fear of road accident, robbers or the luxurious bus breaking down. It is important to note that these things were feared were not rampant in their occurrences.

I do not remember any of us, who came from different parts of the country to converge at the Nigerian Law School for legal education, experiencing any major hazard during our many travels.

This story has changed for the worse and it is not for the political class, whose children are hardly here and when they are here are burried in the impregnable security arsenal of the state.

It has changed for worse for the hewers of wood and drawers of water and their precious children and young people.

When a nation does not secure the lives of its middle-aged and senior citizens, we mourn and express worry. But when the nation cannot secure the lives of its children and young people to whom we should invest all of our present as a worthy investment for a glorious today and meaningful future, it has cut itself in the arteries of its very soul. He is not a prophet of doom, who predicts that it shall bleed to death, if urgent care is not taken.

This day, I write in grave anguish, hoping that my anguish will generate the fiery anger of a public will that will lead to a sweeping action.

Yet, it seems to me that my grave anguish and the hope attached to iit positions me as nobody but an Alice, who in Wonderland resides.

Wait! How did things become this miserably bad that we sleep with our both eyes opened and when we are awake, our sight is fixed on our shoulders?

What state are we: Third World or failed state? Life now means little or nothing! Breath becomes an effervescently fragile commodity that is daily traded at the speed of the pleasure of the terrorists, herdsmen, robbers, ritualists, gang members, cultists, kidnappers and the likes and yet the State, wbose primary responsibility is the welfare of the security of the people confesses to helplessness.

When the state is manned by a government, whose head confesses to being surprised about the state of the security of the people, please what should we advise the government to do?

Yet I keep saying that security does not begin with budgetting for outlandish security votes, purchase of weapons, police reform, creation of regional security agencies, expression of suprise and the likes. Security begins with paying keen attention to the welfare of the people; providing people with social security, building the nest of social protection and alleviating the poverty of 87 million Nigerians, who are living on less than $1.99 dollars per day

The Nigerian Body of Benchers, Nigerian Council of Legal Education, Nigerian Bar Association, national and state chapters, prominent lawyers, security agencies, men and brethren what shall we do to rescue innocent and law abiding Motunrayo RAFIU?

Shall we do a gofundme campaign to raise the random? Would the kidnappers wait for us? I am kind of short of ideas here. Please help if you know what we can do in the immediate to secure the live of Motunrayo RAFIU?

What steps shall we take in the longrun to secure the lives of other Nigeria Law School traveling from different parts of the country to different campuses of the Nigerian Law School, Abuja, Lagos, Enugu, Kano, Yola and Yenegoa.

Do have an INSPIRED week.

I am Taiwo AKINLAMI and I remain Sober on My Knees this LORD’s day as I do SOCIAL PROTECTION ADVOCACY now and forevermore.

2 comments

Really sad.
In my opinion, all legal associations should please rise and mount the necessary pressure on Law enforcement agencies. This lady needs to be rescued.
Have an inspired evening sir

Hmmmm!
I can imagine the plight of the mother of the aspiring legal practitioner…
In my opinion, as an addendum to the previous commit I would say that since she is a student of an institution regulated by the government and other bodies, there is a need for the institution through it’s regulatory bodies to rise up ensure that she is found.
Thank you sir for raising this fundamental issue.