The Much Hyped Kaduna Mafia: Where They Simply A Myth Or Reality ?
The Oasis Reporters
April 29, 2018
By Col. Gora Dauda (Rtd)
In all of history, humanity has had to live with the phenomenon called FEAR, this is because all researchers particularly conducted for military purposes have failed to produce an antidote against fear. A variety of drugs were developed to defeat fear if some worked at all, the effect was only temporal. It is like resorting to alcohol consumption in order for one to forget his travails.
While you are under its influence, you may forget but by the time it’s effect wanes you are in a shape worse than before you resorted to it.
The subject of KADUNA MAFIA has been on the minds of many Nigerians for a long time. The Kaduna Mafia if they existed at all dates back to that period in our national history when military dictatorship was the vogue. Their membership it was thought was a mixed bag of retired top level civil servants, senior retired military officers, politicians and top level business men as well as captains of industry. It was also thought that their main interest was the protection of the interest of the whole of the space formerly identified as Northern Nigeria.
But did the North need any protection? If it ever did, then comes another question, against who ?
Kaduna which was the seat of government of the former Northern region naturally became home to the mafia or at least many people believed it to be so. It is usual that during a military dictatorship, many absurd things did happen Will explain as to the reasons why.
Much as the citizens tried, they could not find any explanation because certain parts of the Constitution were usually suspended particularly those that have to do with some basic rights. It may be this culture of lack of adequate information which may have given birth to or created the myth of the Kaduna Mafia. Some people thought too that the dictatorships were actually taking orders from the Mafia.
While it lasted if indeed there was anything as Kaduna Mafia a few questions will be relevant here some of which are who were its members?
Did this shadowy gang ever achieve anything for the North of this country?
If they existed at all, were they not simply protecting their narrow self interests? Are they now disbanded or in a state of dormancy?
But much more important do they or can they play any role in a democracy?
A little clarification here, the reader should please note that I have thus far deployed the past tense with regard to the Kaduna Mafia this is premised on my thinking that perhaps it is our collective fear that created the myth and that of our collective will we surrendered to what never existed in the first place. This is what fear can do to a people which further explained why no other interest group put itself forward to challenge them.
Since military dictatorship ended back in 1999 the Mafia if there was one was simply put in chains and quarantined because DEMOCRACY returned our rights back to us. Since then very little mention is made of the Kaduna Mafia.
I have deliberately embarked on this enquiry because Kaduna State has been taken hostage by a democratically elected government. For now in Kaduna State the meaning of democracy as a government of the people for the people and by the people has had to give way to a government of the dictator, for the dictator’s friends, cronies, family members and by the dictator and the gang of so-called consultants and economic vampires.
For a truth, there is no wisdom in crying over spilled milk because this dictatorship will surely come to an end in next year’s elections. It is a very arduous responsibility to begin to quantify the damage this dictatorship has inflicted on virtually every institution in the State from the Traditional institution, the politics, economy, education, Civil Service, Security etc. All this happened and our people looked on helplessly.
Where then are the Kaduna Mafia when our dear State was systematically being reduced to ruins? Except if that body is now extinct even if so where are their offsprings? Our people have lived under the illusion that military dictatorship is the worst form of dictatorship, I wonder what they will now be thinking of given what they have had to bear under this dictatorship in a supposedly democratic system.
We in Kaduna State caught up in what I call “DEMOCRATIC DICTATORSHIP”, Not even a demented military dictator could ever have contemplated what the government of Kaduna State has inflicted on the people. But the German Historian and anthropologist Leopold von Ranke and father of sources based History pointed out most succinctly ” He who overcomes himself is Divine. Some see their ruin right before their own eyes but they go into it” or words to that effect..
This could well be the path along which the leadership in Sir Kashim Ibrahim House is heading. Could this not be what some of our people refer to as ” The drag/pull of fate ?” For those of you out there who know much more than I do on this subject please inbox me.
Thanking and appreciating your comments.
Written by Col. Gora Dauda (rtd).
