I was 19 years old in 1989 when Peterside Ottong sang ‘where are the prophets?’

I think more than ever before the cry of the people for the prophets of social, political and economic emancipation has yielded fruits across the nations of Nigeria.

Now that the prophets have arisen across regions and mountains of influence in the society, the murderous Nigerian system and its architects have deviced another callous means to cut short the prophets.

Obadiah MAILAFIA was a prophet, who spoke socioeconomic truth to power and exposed the chicanery and the fraud of the unitary Nigerian state, masquerading as a federalism. He spoke with the courage of his ‘conviction and the conviction of his courage’ as another prophet Ademola Adesina Ogunlana opined in his broadcast on his intervention in the Baba Ijesha’s case.

Obadiah caught the attention of the intolerant Nigerian State and was vilified to the point of frustration by the Nigerian state.

He remained undaunted, his head remained unbowed and his spirit uncowed.

Then can a strange ailment in his 64th year of his existence and was checked into the hospital run by his percecutors. He succumbed to the cold hands of death.

Now, there has been allegations that he was medically murdered at the Gwagwalada Specialist Hospital Gwagwalada where he was referred from EHA Clinics, having been originally taken to CBN Hospital, Abuja. From demand for the sum of N.6M from the family from refusal to oblige him oxygen when it was most critical, among other facts, the National Publicity Secretary of the Middle Belt Forum Dr. Isuwa Dogo has alleged a foul play.

It is either Dr. MAILAFIA was targeted or he was a victim of the nonexistent Nigerian health system. None of the above is beyond the Nigerian State. The first is a matter of suspicion, deeply believeable, looking at the character of the Nigerian state to kill, to steal and to destroy voices of difference.

It is important to note that Dr. MAILAFIA himself warned about the threat on his life and shared as follows in his article published in the Punch on September 14, 2020: ‘I have received serious warnings that my revelations have angered some members of the political class to the extent that they want me physically eliminated. I have been warned to beware of polonium poisoning and sharp objects concealed in chairs. I know that killer squads have been paid undisclosed sums to hunt me down and to have me despatched to Elysium. I have been told that some dark forces want me in their net so that I would be poisoned by gas administered through an air conditioner. When I am getting weak and delirious, a fake doctor would be brought in to administer an injection. That injection would be my death sentence. The other day, shadowy creatures turned up at midnight at my hide-out. I had to scale the back fence and disappear.’

If he was a random victim of the nonexistent Nigerian health system, a fate to which legion of Nigerians are subjected, the Nigerian state will still be attributed with the authorship of his death.

Echoing the question asked by Bob Marley, ‘how long shall they kill our prophets, while we stand aside and look?’

I think it is time to demand redemption by all peaceful means necessary as we compose our own songs of freedom, ensuring as legacy to our precious children that ‘this act in itself will not delay their day of judgement,’ in the word of Walter Rodney.

May the blood of Obadiah MAILAFIA and other prophets like him water and purify the tree of the freedom of the Nigerian people from these quislings, this internal army of fortune and occupation, masquerading as politicians and government agents in Jesus name. AMEN!