IN what has again underscored the level of decadence, warped and twisted values, signposted by heightening spate of criminalities, especially unbridled and deadly pursuit of filthy lucre in the Nigerian society, a caterer and an employer of labour, Olakunbi Adene, was murdered in cold blood recently in her residence in Ondo State. And strangely, her staff have been implicated as the main killers. Indeed three of the staffers who were arguably the closest employees to Mrs Adene; her Personal Assistant (PA), her driver and one other were suspected to be the arrowheads of the killer squad. The killers allegedly struck after the deceased had feasted the ingrates with a sumptuous meal in her house, not knowing that the felons were undeserving of the hospitality she extended to them. They reportedly strangled her neck and stabbed her multiple times so much so that her bowel came out. By the alleged confession of the PA to the deceased, the ignoble objective of the treacherous employees was to rob Adene of the gifts she received, especially the foreign currencies that were reportedly sprayed on her copiously earlier in the day, during her birthday celebration. There has been no report as to whether the assailants approached and attacked their victim while wearing mask, and that goes to show that liquidating the deceased was part of the insidious plan of these armed robbers because she knew them all. It was treachery at its height.
The sordid incident exemplifies how dark human mind can be. An employer who decided to give her employees a treat was gruesomely murdered. That was really sadistic and bizzare. It reveals the level of depravity that has descended on the society, with many ready to take precipitate actions, including terminating human lives in order to accomplish selfish, criminal and ignoble objectives. It beats imagination that these cruel employees thought they could wantonly kill their employer, get away with it and simply move on with life. How exactly did they think that would be possible. Would the woman’s death not invite investigation? Would the investigation not reveal the fact of murder? And would the fact of homicide not further necessitate the need to unravel those behind it? Apparently, their reasoning was impaired by their vaunting ambition and single-minded pursuit of filthy lucre. It is terrible and shameful.
As it stands today, the trust gap between one citizen and the other in the society is yawning while that between between citizens and government, too, has continued to widen. It is the case, and sadly so, that it is becoming increasingly difficult to know who to trust in the society. Yet human beings are by nature social being even though trust that is a bedrock of social interactions is waning and becoming of diminished importance. The implication is that the luxury of taking certain things for granted because one is dealing with supposedly reasonable human beings is no longer there, except one wants to contend with disappointment which could be fatal as in the instant case. It is, therefore, imperative to begin to redefine the terms and conditions of interaction and socialization with a full dose of caution. For instance, since it is literally impossible for many not to make use of the services of domestic servants, due diligence on and proper scrutiny of this category of staff is significant in order not to unwittingly or inadvertently invite criminals to be one’s close associates. This is certainly not the era when background checks on certain categories of employees are considered to be unimportant or unnecessary, every staff must be investigated in order to know their antecedents before being employed. Again, while it is important to celebrate achievement of significant milestones in one’s life, it is wisdom to do so with moderation, and more significantly, with less than showy display affluence and opulence in order not to tempt the morally depraved and little minds in the society into devilishly conduct. To be sure, nothing can justify willful indulgence in criminal acts by any one but it is equally important to realise that oftentimes the thoughtless actions of some people that have fragile moral fabric would have occasioned damages, sometimes, irreparable, before the law takes its course.
Ultimately, there can be no substitute for reevaluation and rethinking of the societal warped moral value system which places premium on wealth acquisition with little or no bother about the source. The unrestrained recognition being accorded citizens who are seemingly financially successful, without regard to how or by what means, is at the root of some unscrupulous citizens’ recourse to desperate and precipitate actions in their quest to get rich by any means. Unfortunately, it is a holistic challenge that permeates various levels of human interactions, even as the incentive structure whether in the palaces, mosques, churches and so on tend to condone the questionable and awkward reward system. Interestingly, it has not always been like that, making many to be nostalgic about the good old days when the society was saner and citizens were more decent and decorous. The mere thought of the misguided employees plotting to not only steal from but also kill someone who could be regarded as their benefactor underscores the scale of value reorientation and moral rearmament that is needed to wean the society from the current decadence and its dangerous speed to the abyss. And the important task of rejigging the value system or going back to the old and time honoured variant must necessarily start from the family, the microcosm of the society.
Parents, in particular, have a duty to bring up to their children and wards to be of high standards of character and conduct. And it should be noted that deterrence, though important, has proved inadequate to arrest the dangerous drift to base conduct by many in the society. Therefore, the use of stick to correct the anomaly and punish infraction of the law, should run concurrently with the rebuilding of character through the teaching of the imperatives of decency and decorum. It is, nonetheless, gratifying that some of the alleged culprits have been arrested by the police. We urge the police to investigate this incident painstakingly and ensure that everyone involved in the dastardly act is diligently prosecuted and punished to the full extent of the law. Yes, it is axiomatic that the country is in regrettable and dire situation, but grave acts of criminality almost will always be attended by severe sanctions, so it is better to stay off crime.
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