Duke Reacts to Fulani Herdsmen Massacre in Enugu

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Efio-Ita Nyok|29 April 2016|5:54am

Former Deputy Speaker of the Cross River State House of Assembly (CRSHA) and poet, Orok Duke, who is currently the Chair of Cross River State Sport Commission has reacted through a literary work his perspective on the recent killings in Ukpabi Nimbo Community in Uzo Uwani LGA of Enugu State on 25 April 2016 beginning from 4am by Fulani militia herdsmen.

*A MASSACRE OF THE INNOCENTS
(For the Ukpabi Nimbo, Enugu, people murdered by Herdsmen)

I wish I could express how lonely I am,
In this vortex of conflict and cruelty.
This massacre of the innocents,
Signposts a conflict between the past
And the future.

In the dark, the villagers groaned,
As they were hacked down like rabid dogs,
Herdsmen used the darkness to disrobe our humanity.
My ear twitches and my heart aches,
As I hear the tales told of the stone dead
Across my nation.

In Paradise there are no stories,
Because there are no journeys.
The important thing is hearing what isn't being said;
I follow all the silences and nonverbal cues –
In reaction to these herdsmen’s homicidal quests.

We now celebrate our diversity
In nostalgia.
The freedoms enjoyed across the land
Are now mere wishes from the past;
My country is like an ageing Ogoja cock,
Tensing its body for a fight –
To death.

For every crime, there should be punishment,
For every violation, there must be restitution.
These nomads have now risen above the law;
These silent pains evoke cries of;
War, revenge, Independence and justice.

The whore is deaf to the cries
And has moved on to service another customer –
In a country of unforced laws.

Orok Otu Duke
Duke Town