Major-General (Dr.) Henry Edmund Olufemi Adefope – A Legacy of Honour (2)

They may have been unduly swayed by the slew of scary stories that have made the headlines in Nigeria in recent times:

(i) “Missing 22-year-old girl who boarded Lagos BRT bus found dead – private part missing. Miss Oluwabamise Ayanwola was returning to Ota (Ogun State) from Ajah (Lagos State) on Saturday, February 26, 2022 when she boarded a BRT bus with registration number 240257 going to Oshodi at 7.20 pm at Chevron Bus Stop.”

(ii) “Two of the suspects alleged to have killed a 17-year-old girl, Sofiat, have poured out how they planned and cut off the head of the girl to satisfy the get-rich-quick syndrome they adopted by engaging in money ritual.

The suspects, Soliu Majekodunmi (18) and Mustakeem Balogun (19) reportedly murdered Sofiat last Friday in the room of the former, who was her lover, after a steamy sex round.

Other suspects linked with the act were Gafar Lukmon and Waris Oladeinde.

According to the state police public relations officer, DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi, three of the suspects – Mustakeem, Gafar and Waris – were arrested in the early hours of Saturday by detectives from Adatan police station, led by the

divisional police officer, SP Abiodun Salau, after they received a report from the head of the community security guards that the suspects were seen burning something suspected to be human head in a clay pot.

The fourth suspect, Soliu, who initially escaped when he noticed that they had been exposed, was however arrested later.

Mustakeem, who was among the three initially arrested had confessed that indeed, it was the head of Soliu’s girlfriend that was being burnt. This was confirmed later after Soliu’s arrest.

The suspects had led detectives to the building where the act was committed, leading to the recovery of the dismembered body of Sofiat, which was thereafter deposited at General Hospital, Ijaiye, Abeokuta mortuary for autopsy.

Recovered were the short cutlass and a knife used in cutting off the deceased’s head.

“Nigerian Tribune” had a comprehensive interview with the suspects on Saturday. Their narrations go thus:

Soliu Majekodunmi

“I’m 18 years old. I’m from Abeokuta. My parents are separated but my mother has remained single while my father remarried. I live alone. I left Egba High School, Abeokuta at SSS2 in 2021 after I told my father that I wanted to go deeper into quranic knowledge.

It is true that we killed Sofiat. Actually, she was killed by Mustakeem.”

The same country that Major-General Adefope served with passion and dedication has been turned upside down by money ritualists, kidnappers, bandits, money doublers, snake charmers, robbers and kleptomaniacs. The gospel of prosperity without hard work has engulfed the entire nation.

A fierce debate is currently raging amongst scholars – the purists insist that the book review is about the book and nothing else. In the opposite corner are the “mordernists” who are adamant that the book must be located in context i.e. how would the book gel with currently prevailing circumstances to wit:

(i) Nigeria now has the largest population of out of school children in the world estimated at 10.5 million children.

(ii) As confirmation of the culture of “Anything Goes”, we are now spending more on importing petroleum products than what we earn from selling crude oil.

Read also: Major-General (Dr.) Henry Edmund Olufemi Adefope – A legacy of honour (1)

Here are the statistics:

In 2020, the COVID restrictions heavily reduced the consumption of oil products in the EU, worst hit was jet kerosene which decreased by 56.4%.

Import dependency reached a record high in 2020 when the EU relied on net imports for 96.96% of the crude oil and petroleum products consumed.

Production of crude oil continued to decline in the EU reaching a record low in 2020.

In 2020, the transport sector in the EU still relied heavily on oil products.

What has all that got to do with the late Major-General H.E.O. Adefope? Plenty !! In effect, the foundation he strove to lay has crumbled or is in danger for imminent collapse.

Further evidence is provided by the following reports:

(i) “Daily Trust” newspaper front page headline March 10, 2022

“The bandits, who gunned down soldiers in Kebbi State on Tuesday, rode on over 200 motorcycles, according to a resident.

Daily Trust had reported the attack, which the state government confirmed to minister of foreign affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, who visited Kebbi over an earlier attack.

In an interview with AFP, Musa Arzika, a resident who said 13 soldiers were killed, added that the attackers came on “around 200 motorcycles riding three on each” and laid siege to the village.

AFP quoted another source as saying five policemen and a vigilante were also killed in the incident.

The battle was said to have erupted late Tuesday in Kanya, a village in Danko-Wasagu district, just a day after 63 members of a self-defence militia, Yan-Sa-Kai, were ambushed and killed by bandits in Zuru Emirate of Kebbi State.

The massacre was reported to have taken place in the wee hours of Monday in Sakaba Local Government Area while the Yan-Sa-Kai were on their way for an attack on the bandits.

Hundreds of gunmen invaded Kanya, engaging a combined military and police detachment in a three-hour gunfight, the source and residents said.

“The death toll stands at 19. They include 13 soldiers, five policemen and one vigilante,” a security personnel who did not want to be identified, told AFP.

He said eight other security personnel, including four soldiers were hospitalised with wounds.

“It was an intense fight that lasted more than three hours. The terrorists had the upper hand because of their sheer number.”

Military and police did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the incident.”