Baby Hanifa: Can Children’s Lives Be Said To Be Pennyworth?
If there is any evil in our contemporary society that has assumed a worrisome dimension, it is undeniably the unprecedented and callous manner in which the lives of innocent children are been cut short by some unscrupulous individuals. Given the unprecedented dimension which the crime that can be classified to be infanticide has taken, it would not be an exaggeration to say that Inconsequential value has being placed on the life of children in various communities across the country.
To truly grasp the situation, it is commonsensical to say that millions of people find it difficult slaughtering chickens, goats and other domestic animals. But ironically, there are equally millions of people who seemingly take pleasure in exterminating the lives of innocent children without even blinking their eyelids.
Against the foregoing backdrop, it is expedient to say that not few Nigerians were woken up to rude shock when the news of the arrest of two suspects, Abdulmalik Mohammed and Hashim Isyaku over the abduction and killing of a five-year-old girl, Hanifa Abubakar was broken.
As widely reported, Abubakar was buried in a shallow grave and her remains was discovered at a private school premises in Kwanar ‘Yan Gana, Tudun Murtala Quarters, Nassarawa LGA, Kano State by the police.
As if the killing was not gruesome enough, the suspects, who had abducted Hanifa on December 2, 2021, took the victim to a hideout where they contacted her relatives and demanded a ransom of six million naira. Puzzling enough, like the proverbial case of the dog that chewed the bone that was tied on its neck, Abdulmalik Mohammed was Hanifa’s private teacher, and having realized that the victim recognized them, the suspects poisoned her to death, butchered her remains and buried them in a shallow grave. It is expedient to say that before now that similar cases of infanticide has been committed.
Since the news was broken, headlines that were cast in the similitude of the following, “Hanifa Abubakar: Buhari reacts to murder of 5-year-old girl in ...”, “Kano School Proprietor Reveals Step-by-Step Strategy He ...”, “Hanifa Abubakar: Nigeria outrage at Kano schoolgirl killing”, and “The discovery of the decomposing body of five-year-old schoolgirl Hanifa Abubakar has triggered shock and outrage across Nigeria, ...”
As if the headlines were not shocking enough, the galore that is inherent in it has continued with, “PHOTOS: Inside the school where Hanifa was buried”, “Nigerians are yet to recover from the shock of the killing of an innocent five-year-old pupil, Hanifa Abubakar....”, “Throwback video of five year old Hanifa Abubakar kidnapped …” Teacher arrested for allegedly kidnapping, killing his 5-year” and “Abdulmalik Tanko Confesses”.
Without doubt, the foregoing headlines indicate that the evil of infanticide has never being so bad. Worthy of mention at this juncture to buttress the foregoing fact is that the killing of Hanifa is one of the most devastating experience that Nigerians will not imagine to experience.
To contextually demonstrate that it was a painful death to everyone, President Muhammadu Buhari has commiserated with the family, and has in a similar vein charged the police to be adequately prepared to ensure that the murdered five-year-old girl gets justice in court.
In a state of lamentation over how fast children’s lives is fast depreciating in value, a friend of mine jokingly opined that criminals may not resist the deal of exchanging a child’s life for a wrap of Indian hemp merely to sustain and nurture their addiction. He may not be wrong because so many people no longer see the lives of children as priceless. The manner children are been killed these days indicates that children’s lives have depreciated in value. One may not be wrong to say that the life of a child has become pennyworth in the estimation of criminals and those that are involved in spiritual wickedness in high places.
Be that as it may, no sane human being will agree to trade the lives children on a platter of money. The value which God has literarily placed on children’s lives is so inestimable that it would continue to defy monetary estimation.
It is germane to say that even if the lives of children are not valued by humanity that God values their lives. For instance in Psalm 127:3-5, God said, “Children are a heritage from the LORD, offspring a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their opponents in court”.
In Matthew 18:2-5, it is written that, “He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me”, and in Matthew 18:10, God said, “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven”.
To any discerning reader, the theme of this piece may not be that astounding as right from the womb, the life of a child has been under the threat of extermination. Apart from typical criminals whose stock in trade is the killing of innocent children, most youths in today’s permissive society are wont to be committing abortion as if it is a norm. In Psalm 22 verse 10, David said “From birth I was cast upon you; from my mother’s womb you have been my God.”
Though, this piece is not a sermon, suffice it to say that David also in Psalm 139 verse 14 said, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” Life is so precious and valuable that a hackneyed aphorism aptly says “Life has no duplicate”
In fact, one of the sacred commandments which God gave to Christendom through Moses on Mount Sinai in Exodus chapter 20 verse 13 is: “You Should Not Murder.” Many Christians are aware that when Cain violated this command by killing his brother, Abel, God was angry with him.
It is pertinent to ask; why do people terminate the lives of others? The answer to this question is provided in 1 John chapter 4 verse 21: “And he has given us this command: whoever loves God must also love his brother.” The truth is that most people that claim they love God do not love God. If they do, they would also love their fellow brothers and sisters. Many people hypocritically claim they love God whereas they do not love him. The Lord in Isaiah 29 verse 13 says: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules by men. “
From moral perspective, does it mean those who enjoy killing innocent children, such as Hanifa Abubakar, either by physical or spiritual means do not have conscience? They are supposed to have it since conscience is physiologically inherent in any living human being.
The inspiration to write this piece emanated from the fact that a child’s life cannot continue to be taken by each passing day through wicked acts. Also, the inspiration to write this piece is to sensitize fellow Nigerians that we cannot continue to live in this Hobbesian state of nature that is short, brutish and nasty. The society we are presently living in is not too different from the proverbial dog-eat-dog society. As it is today one cannot confidently walk to a fellow human being to ask for a direction without his decision provoking an atmosphere of mutual suspicion. People now walk with their hearts in their mouth and watch their backs while walking. The mutual suspicion that pervades today’s society is so obvious that people now suspiciously answer phone calls, read e-mails and worse still chat with friends on social media networks.
Against the foregoing background, the question, “Baby Hanifa: Can Children’s Lives Be Said To Be Pennyworth?” still begs for answer.