SO,THE KING COULD DIE (In Memory of General Sani Abacha) By Dare Lasisi

Hunger and starvation ravaged the homeland and poverty was a permanent fixation of the populace. The king in power was a defiant and a pre – historic despot who was very ruthless and ungodly in his approach to issues of the land. He rarely talks on sensitive issues of the land but his associates were his loudspeakers; deaf and blind king. What a double tragedy!. His words were unchangeable.He lives inside a rock heavily-fortified with drug – addicted soldiers.

Old men and Old women, children, workers, peasants and many people were earnestly advising him to quit because of the loudest ovation but because he was surrounded by sycophants, praise – singers,boot-lickers, and soothsayers who advised him to remain in power on till eternity

A good dancer knows when to stop dancing if the beat stops but a bad (or a mad!) dancer would continue to dance on even when the beat has stopped. So tyrants and dictators are irrational in reasoning.

The resourceful land was in turmoil and patriots would never keep mute in the face of tyranny no matter the degree of persecution and victimization. A group of concerned citizens of the land aligned together under a common front with similar goals of restoring the lost glory and dignity back to the land but the directionless King and his associates tagged them “enemies of the land” and “disgruntled elements”.

The pharaoh – hearted king was so crudely desperate to remain on the throne till eternity. He transformed himself into a demi-god. He was an autocratic ruler and highly egocentric.
The lust for power is a moral issue, which should be fought morally. Anytime the King remembers how he had destroyed his people, he is reduced to a fearful trembling thinking on the temporary darkness he had put his country people.

To be on top of the world, this king must drink alcohol and smoke unlawful substances because of the hydra – headed problems of his motherland. What type of governance could we expect from a drug – addicted ruler and a ruthless drunkard? If not a barbaric, animalistic and inhuman administration.
The former king of the land and his deputy along with some prominent people of the land were alleged by the king of plotting to dethrone him, from his so – called ancestral monarch. They were unfairly tried under the law of the land and sentenced to various jail terms in the detention camps constructed by the king to perpetually silence his real or imagined enemies and adversaries.

They were psychologically and physically tortured during their detentions to the extent that few years later, the former deputy king died mysteriously in detention due to neglect, lack of good food and inadequate medical attention despite the fact that he was a strongman in the king’s clan. He died cheaply like a dog and buried in an unmarked grave. The people protested round the town because of the unclan like behaviour of this power – drunk king. Was he a devil – reincarnate?

Taste it once and cry for more is the spirit of power because power intoxicates and absolute power intoxicates absolutely. A septuagenarian old man who had a sympathy for the struggles to free his people from this bondage and second – slavery was gruesomely murdered right inside his bedroom by the assassins widely believed to be working for the king and his associates.

Death prowled the land like a vampire looking for fresh blood to suck and decimate the existence of human race into extinction. A notable conservationist who strongly believed in the protection of the environment and the fundamental human rights of his oppressed people was callously hanged along with his other eight supporters despite people’s voice for clemency. A dog that is destined to get lost would never heed the instructions of the hunter. What a pity for the dark – goggled life – king!

The king was involved in the dethronement of many kings either partially or totally but yet he did not want his dethronement because of he level of sweetness of power and wealth. The assumed king who proclaimed himself as the next king to the throne was dehumanized and eventually kept in one of the toughest detention camps of the king without trials.

To psychologically torture him, his beloved wife who was around to keep the home front alive for the enthronement of his husband as the authentic king of the homeland was brutally murdered in broad day light by the hired–killers of the king as hot bullets were pumped into her torso.

The king could no longer move freely around his homeland because he had stepped on many powerful toes of the land. The land that flourished with milk and honey had now transformed into land of thorns and bitter leaves for the hapless populace to feed upon for sustenance and continuity of life.He was a ‘prisoner’ in his own homeland.

When his people were yearning in pains for a relief; he ignored then because of the league of hungry opportunists and advisers that surrounded him. If you were not for the king of the rocky cave that means you were against him and you must either be ready to face the primitive punishment or vacate the homeland for him and his tyrannical associates.

A popular chief priest of a faith visited the homeland to plead with the king to soft–pedal on his stone-age despotism and release all his prisoners of war and conscience but he just laughed at all the appeals.

Fear and anxiety pervaded the land for nobody could ever talk anything contrary to the whims and caprices of the lord king without being severely reprimanded but in an unjust society, silence should be a criminal offence. He was the sole – administrator of the land!

The dark-goggled crafty king continued to wallow in the illusion that nobody could stand before him in his bid to remain in power till death comes. He lived in his own world of fantasies and dreams.

A strange spectre haunts the king, which was a collection of all the innocent souls parcelled into the land of the ghosts by the king himself. The spectre thrives on the very roof of his palatial cave palace so anytime he sleeps; this spectre continues to chase him endlessly in his dreams despite his water–tight and high-walled security palace. It was a supernatural warfare for the king…

The hydra-headed spectre gradually sucks the blood of this despotic king like a possessed vampire; he was a caricature of his old self to the extent that his gaunt frame could be ferried away by the whirlwind.

The king was now a bold caricature of his old self perpetually haunted by the spirits of all the innocent souls checkmated in cold-blood as if killing in programs. Double tragedy for the over-ambitious king of the land.
The flamboyant prince of the autocratic king died mysteriously while riding on the special king’s horse for special ceremonies. The youthful exuberance enabled the prince to ride on his father’s horse to death.

The King traced the sudden death of his ‘adopted’ son to the evil machinations of his assumed foes and detractors, the evils that men do must surely live after them and the good is oft interred with their bones.
The tragic demise of the prince was the darkest period in the life of the king but rumour had it that King organised the death of his ‘adopted’ son.

This incident made him be a wild predator searching endlessly for his preys to devour. The secret of life is the have no fear but this over – ambitious king was always suspicious of virtually all the people around his because of the disease of his mind to be ruling the homeland forever and ever.

One of the close associates of the king cunningly framed – up the deputy king in a dethronement charge along with other people of the land. The unjust trial was a replica of the age long intention of the king to remain in power. Some were sentenced to death for their involvement in the dethronement debacle including the deputy king while others were sentenced to life imprisonment.
The king who could not move freely was also a prisoner within his domain because of his self – imposed restrictions. Uproar erupted with regards to the verdict passed on the deputy king and his fellow – accused persons but would the king ever listen to the people’s voice?

The cold breeze prevalent in the land permitted the king and his households to experience a sound sleep having being haunted by strange spirits in the recent times. Death could not allow the king to seek for forgiveness from the supreme – being or to redress all the wrongs of the land master –minded by him.

He died quietly in his sleep before daybreak without bidding farewell to his beloved ones. The news of his tragic death was celebrated by the oppressed people of the land thereby signaling an ultimate end to a despotic king.

He died unmourned like a common criminal. So, the king could kiss the dust just like that without achieving his ambition as a prisoner of reckless power.

Poor king! He could not prevent his death through his usual draconian laws.Death reduced him to a defenceless pawn on the chess of life.No royal wreaths for the late ambitious king except the one made of thorns and tree barks. Death struck at last thereby jolting the late despotic king and his associates to the tragic end of human frailty.

On his lonely path to the world beyond; no servants or associates could assist the king to carry all his burdens. He remembers in his mind vividly that he who destroys in order to succeed in life shall have destruction awaiting him at the gate of his grave.

“Welcome back to your root, dear king but no accommodation for you here except a single room that is heavily infested with wild rodents, mosquitoes, bed bugs, reptiles and Americana Periplaneta…” The great beyond gateman explained innocently.

“My sudden death came to me as a big surprise because I was thinking about my final transformation into a life ruler of my land. Kindly tell me the meaning of Americana Periplaneta. “ The late king asked.

“Oh my dear king, Americana Periplaneta is a compound name for the heavenly cockroaches specially reserved for a tyrant like you because of your deeds on earth” the gateman confirmed. The king ran out of words.

“That is alright, I can now understand the whole drama here but… “King nodded his head in reality. The late ambitious king was totally confused at this stage but it was too late for a rethink of his life.

He suddenly became restless for all the innocent souls murdered in cold – blood began to chase him around as a cat would always chase a rat until the judgment day when the creator shall send the late tyrant to his deserved final resting place. He buried his head in shame and regretted like the proverbial ostrich would bury its head in sand but no way for a reprieve.

P.S:I wrote this article around mid-June 1998 when General Sani Abacha died and no media organisation was ready and bold enough to publish it that time.Thank God for the Social Media.I hope it is still relevant to remember the fearless soldier famously dubbed as the ‘Butcher of Abuja.’