The brutal and senseless murder of Drummer Lee Rigby, a British soldier in Woolwich may seem like an isolated incident limited to the perpetrators of the horrible and unimaginable crime. In the age of 24- hour news cycle and internet which carries news to all corners of the world within minutes, perception can sometimes become reality. The crude, callous, brutal and graphic nature of this crime stands out as one of the worst case of man’s inhumanity to another man. I was shocked to see one of perpetrators with blood soaked hands on camera gloating over his accomplishment with the admiration of his accomplice.
When the names of the perpetrator were revealed, I knew from their last name that they have some Nigerian lineage. Even though they were born in Britain and may never have set foot on Nigeria soil, what we hear in the news is that they are of Nigerian descent which reinforces the negative view some people already have of Nigeria. Nigeria image in Britain and around the world was not good before this incident due primarily to corruption and advance fee fraud. Yes, it is wrong to pin this incident on Nigeria, but we have no control over how people around the world perceive or process information.
The two perpetrators, Michael Adebolajo, 28 and Michael Adebowale, 22 are college drop outs who are Christians by birth and later converted to muslim religion. Michael Adebolajo was once arrested close to Somalia boarder and charged to court in Kenya for leading a group of Islamists trying to join the notorious Al-Qaeda inspired Al-shabaab group who are trying to over-throw Somalia government and establish Islamic rule. He was deported to Britain after appearing in court in Mombassa, Kenya in 2010. He later complained that he was mistreated, tortured and denied access to legal services while in custody in Kenya. Mistreatment in a far away Kenya is a lame excuse for what he did. Michael Adebowale was detained by police in London about two years ago after shopkeepers complained to authorities about a group of Muslim activists. The British police and intelligence agency are aware of the duo and should have kept a close tab on them.
How did children of Nigerian parents turned out this way? Nigerian parents are generally disciplinarians and can be very tough on their kids in-order to raise them with good moral values. Are these men trying to out-muslim muslims since they are converts. In orders wards, are they trying to prove their devotion to muslim faith by outdoing other well known Islamic extremist who perpetuated extreme violence to prove their authenticity. They said they are revenging muslim deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan. What did they know about Afghanistan where the Talibans who ruled the country for few years are universally despised by overwhelming majority of Afghan population who are muslims because of their extreme views. Iraq is a different matter. Iraq war was very unpopular and people should not be faulted for criticizing the war but decapitating the head of a British soldier to make a point is dead wrong.
Former Nigerian Minister of aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode wrote an article on May 25, 2013 titled “Woolwich killing conspiracy theories – more questions than answers” He appear to doubt that the brutal killing even took place, that it was probably pinned on Nigerians. I am not sure where Femi Fani-Kayode is coming from. I can understand his doubt that children of Nigerian descent are incapable of committing such crime. I thought so initially till I saw the pictures. There is a saying that “a picture is worth a thousand words”. Nigerians will be better off admitting and confronting the truth rather that delve into conspiracy theories.
The optics of such a heinous crime committed by Children of Nigerian parents further compounds the negative image of Nigeria and Nigerians. Such perception not only affects hard-working Nigerians living in Nigeria but some of us in diaspora. It means more scrutiny for Nigerians living overseas who work hard everyday to eke out a living and help their brethrens back home. It means lack of trust and difficulty getting well paid and sensitive jobs for Nigerians in diaspora. It means loss of foreign investment to Nigeria since prospective investors may shy away from a country they deem corrupt and dangerous. Is it justified to pin the action of children of Nigerian descent on the whole population? Of course not, but this is the reality of the world we live in today. 24-hour news cycle is now the norm. Nigerians everywhere are the collateral damage of such heinous and senseless crime beamed around the world. Nigerians and their descendants outside Nigeria shores may need to start looking at themselves as ambassadors in-order to mitigate this ongoing negative image. The picture of the duo with their blood soaked hand holding meat cleaver and sharp knife will remain in infamy for years to come. Whoever think that the terrorist act committed by two Chechen immigrants brothers during the Boston Marathon has not affected image of chechens around the world is not living in the real world.