By Nura Bako Zango
My attention was drawn to the recent interview with the ex-convict and mastermind of Zangon Kataf crises of 1992, Zamani Lekwot, which I feel, as the direct victim of his atrocities, it’s duty-bound upon myself to critically peruse and examine its content with a view to coming up with a rejoinder in order to debunk his lies, fabrications, propaganda and smear campaigns against the personalities of the leaders who exposed and punished him for his crimes against humanity.
When he was asked about his link and the roles that he played in the Zangon Kataf genocide of 1992 and what led to his conviction, the remorseless Zamani Lekwot described it as a blackmail. In his words, contrary to the dictate of common sense, “honestly, I wouldn’t know. The Zangon Kataf issue was just blackmail. Do you see a whole general going to the village to kill villagers?”
Army generals all over the world are known for their gallantry in protecting countries and sovereign states and territories from external aggression.
They help in maintaining peaceful coexistence within a given state. They also uphold unity and national and international cohesiveness. In Nigeria for example, the excellent services rendered by General Murtala Muhammed, General Sani Abacha, General Hassan Usman Katsina, General Yakubu Gowon, General Muhammadu Buhari, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida and many other generals, in keeping this country together is still and will still be appreciated.
They fought the civil war from 1967 to 1970 just to uphold the unity and national cohesiveness of this country. Their history of bravery and gallantry in serving this nation is still captured in Nigeria’s curriculum and nothing will change it.
However, there is no historical record of Zamani Lekwot’s contribution in keeping the country together even before he retired from the Nigerian Army. As the retired general, his religious bigotry, hate, prejudice, intolerance and parochialism was obvious to everyone.
If not, why would he be indicted, arraigned and later convicted for the murderous role he had played in Zangon Kataf in 1992? It is unfortunate that for the first time in the history of Northern Nigeria, an army general killed villagers and rendered thousands homeless instead of uniting the people.
It is essential to know that the conviction of Zamani Lekwot and other Atyap elders was not done out of resentment and malice that the then authorities harboured against them. It was carried out in line with the law. The established legal system, including a fair trial and due process led to their conviction.
Prior to their conviction, the government had set up Judicial Commission of Inquiry to investigate the causes of the incidence and the principal actors. The commission, which was headed by Justice Rahila Cudjoe, a Christian woman, discharged their assigned duty effectively by carefully looking into the causes of the crises and finally found Zamani Lekwot and his Atyap kinsmen guilty of killing hundreds of innocent Hausa-Fulani Muslims in Zangon Kataf and the displacement of thousands of others.
It was therefore ridiculous for Zamani Lekwot to link his conviction to religious and ethnic blackmail if he could be found guilty of crime against humanity by his Christian sister.
In his inconceivable falsehood characterised by cock and bull story, Zamani Lekwot disclosed that what caused the problem was a market relocation. That a day was fixed for the market to be opened, people started a riot and some people were killed. He had made this known but failed to tell the interviewer of their peoples motive for relocating the market, the investments that his people had stocked in the market, the infrastructure that they had put in place in the newly proposed market and who was actually killed. To be honest, the Atyap, Zamani Lekwot’s kinsmen, had absolutely nothing in Zango Market at that moment. The market was originally located at the heart of Zango town and over 95% of the investments belonged to the Hausa-Fulani people of Zango.
What the Atyap actually wanted at the time was the freedom to sell fermented alcohol (Burkutu) in the market which our people resisted. The pogrom committed by the Atyap was preplanned owing to the religion and economic prosperity of the Hausa people which the Atyap envied and despised.
Market relocation was only used as a cover to conceal their ill-motive and justify their atrocity on our innocent peace-loving population.
Again, not even a stall was built in the site where they proposed to relocate the market. It was just an empty land.
Moreover, Zamani Lekwot, stated that the Hausa people in Zangon Kataf town first attacked one of their (Atayp) villages and this made them to launch a heinous attack. But he has failed to name the village where the attack took place and the villagers killed. I challenge him to name the village and the people killed therein if he wasn’t a blatant liar.
Anyway, I blame those who pardoned him for giving him the chance. If he had been executed long ago, he wouldn’t have had the opportunity to make these silly and unguarded utterances in the first place.
From all indication, Zamani Lekwot, who in the past remained mute, wanted Nigerians to forgive him for the crimes against humanity that he masterminded, orchestrated and committed 31 years ago. The octogenarian terrorist was appeasing Nigerian government to recognize him as innocent and victim of circumstance who was tyrannically oppressed and maltreated by the military government of Babangida. He was shamelessly portraying himself as an oppressed when the whole world knows that he is the oppressor.
Zamani Lekwot should not forget that the history of his crime is documented for generations yet unborn. His attempts to change historical narratives, especially of the terrorism that his hand committed on our people would not be erased, no matter how hard he tries to do so. There is no amount of lies, propaganda, name calling or vituperation that that can be able to change his past ugly historical antecedent.
In conclusion, I advise Zamani Lekwot to hide his ugly face in shame and wait for his appointed time when God will call him to account for his heinous crime because his futile effort to fabricate lies to exonerate himself from his kinsmen insurgency on the hundreds of innocent Muslims in Zangon Kataf in 1992 would not yield a desired result.
