Threat To My Life

It is really astonishing that some people, once in position of power, arrogate to themselves that which is the exclusive preserve of the Almighty Creator who is the giver and taker of life. In fact, such people sometimes think they have the powers to decide who dies and/or lives; forgetting that only God Almighty predestines every occurrence in this world. Allah who gives life also decides who becomes what and when. Therefore, we as mere mortals only live by His will and powers. As a strong Muslim, I believe in the will of the Almighty Allah in all my dealings on earth and shall submit to same in accordance with the dictates of my faith. Some readers may be wondering why I am sounding somewhat religious this time in my column. But I hasten to say that I have always been religious and faithful to the teachings of my religion (ISLAM), and I am a strong believer of what destiny has in store for me as ordained by the Almighty Allah. As a member of the Fourth Estate of the Realm, a professionally trained one at that, I am always conscious of my role as a watchdog of unfolding events in the society and I have tried to discharge my duties with utmost sense of responsibility without fear or favour. All through my journalism practice spanning 33 years, I have never for once been accused of embarking on blackmail against anyone, until recently when someone, I consider a brother, got consumed by the allure of power and sponsored a publication against my person and two of my colleagues on the board of Forefront. He accused me of engaging on a blackmail expedition simply because our magazine chose to pitch its tent with the people of Borno State, where I come from. The magazine took that decision in a bid to correct whatever imbalance noticed in the running of official affairs in Borno State. As a journalist, an indigene of Borno and a part owner of Forefront, I liken my situation to that of being between the proverbial devil and the deep blue sea. More than any news medium, Forefront has not only stood tall to identify with the sufferings of the Borno people but is committed to ensuring that justice smiles at the people of Borno state. While this continues, I have been at the receiving end, accused by agents of Borno government that I seemed unconcerned as the magazine continues to lampoon the State administration over the manner it is managing the affairs of state. While my colleagues at Forefront might have had cause to accuse me of playing the sentiment card because of my involvement back home, I am being labeled a traitor for allowing my colleagues to take the Borno State government to the cleaners, albeit with my so-called connivance. The matter came to a head recently when I had to take on one of my friends of over 30 years and a fellow director on the magazine’s avowed commitment to ensure prompt reporting of the current situation in Borno. I have been informed from sources close to the corridors of power in the state that plans have been concluded to eliminate me through the assassin’s bullet following what government agents perceived as my stiff opposition to the Governor Kashim Shettima-led administration. As things stand at the moment, I have been reliably informed that there is an ‘official death warrant’ issued on my head by the political powers in Borno for daring to be ‘an enemy’ of Borno State Government and the plan is to be executed once I stepped into Maiduguri, the state capital. What these power-drunk politicians fail to understand however is that, nobody stays a second beyond their allotted time as destined by the Almighty Allah. We all have an appointment with the Angel of Death and to have our actions accounted for in the hereafter, with an unbiased Judge sitting on the throne in judgment. By the actions of some, even though some people, in their lexicon, do not believe in such a day, there comes a Judgment Day when all human actions will be judged. It is my CANDID VIEW that I have not committed any sin against anybody to warrant passing a ‘death sentence’ on me. However, I wish to note that those who think my life is in their hands are simply playing God, and I call on the divine powers to bestow mercy on them. No amount of threat will stop me from visiting my home state. I cannot stop Forefront from doing what is right in the face of the law towards promoting good governance. My life is indeed in the hands of my Creator, but I still feel the public needs to know how the devil dwells in some people.