It is a known fact that whatever lives shall eventually die. Death is and has always been inevitable, regardless of one’s status, affiliation, age, piety. Death has neither passion nor compassion.
If there was anything shocking on Thursday night, August 13 in Bauchi State, it was the murder of Hon. Musa Mante Baraza, a member of representing Dass constituency in the Bauchi State House of Assembly. Mante was lying on his sick bed in his village Baraza, recuperating from Covid-19 when some unknown gunmen killed him. These unknown men did not end their atrocity there. They went further to kidnap his wives and a year -old- child. Reports indicated that these unidentified gunmen were armed robbers.
While pondering on the matter, I was impelled by sudden impulse to ask these questions:
If they were armed robbers, why did they have to kill the lawmaker? Why abduct his family?
Could this be politically-motivated?
Could they have been sent by someone?
What do they stand to gain by this devilish act?
Unfortunately, only the perpetrators of this heinous act can provide answers to these questions.
In accordance with Islamic injunctions, the remains of the late Hon. Baraza were buried at the Dass central burial ground after funeral prayers led by the Chief Imam of Dass Central Mosque with thousands of sympathisers, including the Emir of Dass, Alhaji Usman Bilyaminu Othman, Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Rt Hon Abubakar Suleiman, members of the Assembly and other personalities. The demise of the lawmaker has shocked not only his relatives but the entire state, as the Bauchi State governor, Sen. Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed was reported to have said, “Innalillahi Wainna Ilaihi Raji’un. I received the killing of our lawmaker by unknown gunmen with great shock and that has shown that we need to put extra efforts in collaboration with the security agencies to ensure the safety of our people.” The governor sympathized with the immediate family of the lawmaker, Dass Emirate council and members of the state House of Assembly over the loss, promising to take stiffer measures to address security concerns in the area.
He said the state government will work in collaboration with security agencies with a view to fishing out those involved in killing of Mante Baraza. As the late Hon. Baraza was laid to rest, he was described in flowering terms by different personalities. If he were a rascal, he would have been described as such. This should serve as an example not only to politicians, but to everybody.
You may die peacefully or be killed, but your legacy and good work will live on till eternity.
Mahmud Yahaya,
Bauchi State University, Gadau,
Faculty of Law
