Omotoyosi: The Girl Who Cried Wolf

Omotoyosi a.k.a  @_misterious

The country is still reeling from the news of the Abuja-Kaduna attack, which left several people dead and the survivors captured. The attack itself was sad enough but what even made it more heart-rending was the final tweet of one of the passengers, Dr Chinelo Megafu Nwando: 

which, to many people's outrage, brought the reaction of several trolls who taunted her...calling her a liar and 'clout chaser' and some even asking if she was dead yet.

Once word got out the attack was for real, several culprits hastily deleted the damning  tweets and blocked their accounts, while others openly made their  apologies. All I can say to that is "go, and sin no more," and RIP Dr. Chinelo and the other casualties.  

Yesterday,  alarm broke out when a  Twitter user, Omoyosi (@_misterious) made this chilling tweet:

Obviously, not wanting another instance a victim's word was called to question,  slandered and ignored until it was too late, there was mass concern and anxiety over the girl's safety, with the police mobilised to rescue her. 

But then she posts THIS an hour later...

To her credit, some people actually thought she wrote that tweet under duress but then got another tweet, accompanied by a video insisting she was fine, was at her house and not under duress:

          

The final nail to the coffin was a video posted by her brother, where he was scolding her for causing a mass hysteria  on social media and upseting their parents, whom he'd informed. Currently, she has been arrested for the false alarm and for disturbing the peace and will be arraigned in court. 

In this period of fear and insecurity...this slip of a girl cries kidnap and rape on social media and then reveals it was a prank when the police arrive. 

A f***ing prank! 

I'm not going to even bother pondering over what the hell she was thinking when she posted that tweet (which of course she has now deleted) or what she hoped to gain from it. What really bothers me  now is, if crying wolf will now be a trend on social media, merely to see how people will react. Because crying wolf, especially in these worrisome times in Naija, is definitely not a thing to do. Dr Chinelo's final plea for a prayer was vilified until the news of her death, shaming those who didn't believe her with the vow not to doubt such tweets again. 

But then this silly girl goes and tweets an actual false post and not only did the police end up wasting their time, doubt returns in full force. Will the police be quick to the rescue if there's another plea for help? Will there be more such pranksters like Omotoyosi making fools out of the police and other concerned citizens, JUST to get cheap popularity? 

Omotoyosi has definitely achieved that... the stupid girl who cried wolf! 

REFLECTING ON CHESTER BENNINGTON'S DEATH

After reading up on Chester Bennington after hearing about his death, I am still trying to understand the level of pain he must have being bottling that made him take such a sad step. It's always a tragic waste- taking one's own life. And Some people are strangely unsympathetic about suicide, while others wonder how on earth they could have missed the signs when their loved ones commit suicide.
Death is inevitable-no exceptions- and no one wants to die, yet those who feel there is no way out simply want the pain to stop and find some level of peace.
Some of us have such thoughts now and then- the ugliness of Clinical Depression.  But we must remember who and what we still have, have faith in God and do all we can to rise about the ashes.

You will be missed, Chester Bennington!

Feeling so alone, others not seeing,  

We are stung by words and actions,

Some numb, bottle or ignore the pain,   

Or channel it towards positivity,

Free yourself of the past and never look back,

However some scars are too close to the bone

And the pain is opened afresh,

Then you welcome the darkness,

Allowing it consume you,

Drowning in despair and agony,

But look to the light, it’s right there!

Don’t let the devil win!

Be brave and strive to forge ahead

Let the caring and sincere in,

Have faith in the One Being,

You are someone,

YOU are important

YOU MATTER!

21/7/17 (written by me) 

THE CHARLESTON CHURCH SHOOTING: AN UNSPEAKABLE TRAGEDY

It’s bad enough the world heard of senseless crimes like the cinema shooting in 2012, the massacre of several school children that same year, the loss of lives in September 11 and the Boston Marathon Bombing in 2013.

 There was the senseless deaths of Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown but their killers were acquitted; causing civil unrest. In the case of Trayvon, he was mistaken for a criminal because of what he was wearing that fateful day- a hoodie. Brown was no angel but he was unarmed so didn’t deserve to be shot like a dog. And then there was Walter Scott, another unarmed African American man who was shot and killed but his killer is presently behind bars. Now, the world heard of what happened in Charleston, South Carolina three days ago- a young man killed several worshippers in a church… including the pastor. Not only did he do this terrible thing but actually admitted it was racially motivated- he actually wanted to cause a race war.

 Should one call racism ignorance or a vice? Definitely a vice because it’s a terrible thing to be prejudiced against a person because of race and colour but thank God, there are people who don’t see the colour of skin or which country a person is from. Racism is deep blind hatred and those who have this evil vice feel they are justified to feel how they feel towards people that look different from them and go out of their way to show it. Some racists deny they are racists, even when it is more than obvious. And if racism continues to run its destructive course, how on earth is the world supposed to progress at all; in terms of peace and universal love?

Why discrimination at all… why hatred and what is to be gained from such blatant hatred of people from different races? If the civil rights match taught America and the rest of the world anything, it was that every man and woman had the right to life, to equal rights, the right to be one and not divided in any way. A person’s race- be it African, African American, Hispanic, Asian, Caucasian and what have you- is no justification of hatred, prejudice and discrimination… or murder.

Dylann Roof did a terrible thing that day, killing those innocent people and in a place of worship. For him to do such a thing and admitted why he did it, he is a monster with no conscience, no humanity in his body. Charleston is in mourning and the world is mourning with them. I still can’t believe how any person could carry such hate in their heart, motivating them to murder innocent people outside their race. Racism is evil and brings about terrible repercussions.

To the families and friends of the victims of the Charleston Shooting, my heart goes out to them and may God give them the fortitude to bear this great loss. And it is the hope that this sad incident will not cause a huge divide.

And let’s not forget Dylann Roof; may he get the punishment he deserves.

THE BOSTON BOMBER FOUND GUILTY

#Tsarnaev found #GUILTY on all 30 counts. LIVE COVERAGE now on FOX25 or in app. #FOX25 pic.twitter.com/Pd0GdpjLYw
— FOX 25 News Boston (@fox25news) April 8, 2015

Two years ago, on the 13th of April,  two young horrors, Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev  planted bombs at the Boston Marathon, killing three and injuring several people. Today, a verdict was reached and the surviving of the two  who caused so much pain and chaos- has been found guilty on 30 charges; making him eligible for the death penalty.
It still baffles me how anyone could have such a low regard for human life. It's  heartrending to see Islam's teachings blackened and misunderstood  and used as a reason to cause mass destruction. For those two to do what they did, one cannot imagine exactly what was in their heads when they planted those bombs- nothing except the intention to cause a major tragedy and for what? 
The Tsarnev boys chose to throw their lives away; Tamerlan's now dead and Dzhokhar, at 21, will probably be given the death penalty. He's probably not afraid of death since he regards his brother as a martyr in paradise, one wonders if the thought of being executed would  even terrify him.
Looking at his pic on the internet, I'm filled with nothing but disgust for him. When I think of the people who were killed and injured on that fateful day, I'm reminded of how he and his brother showed no regard for human life and causing  Muslims to be likened to terrorists. Killing and bombing is not way to win God's favour!
Whatever punishment that awaits this young man, he more than deserves it. I can say no more than that.

THE CHARLIE HEBDO ATTACK

I just had to write a few words on this. What happened in France recently was a terrible tragedy and as I continue reading the news posts on the Net and following it on T.V; I keep thinking how it could've been avoided.

Journalists are known to take risks, they do anything to get a story, they protect their sources and live up to the ‘Free Speech Act’ and the ‘Freedom of the Press thing’; that’s no news. But surely there has to be a time when they do not cross the line and put their lives at risk. I am not defending what those terrorists did. In every religion, you will find the fanatics and extremists who think they are fighting for a right cause and then proceed to take things too far by “killing in the name of God.”  The cartoon depicting the Prophet was a slap on the face of Islam; and they had no right to use ‘Freedom of Speech’ to insult the Muslim faith.

But Islam deploys violence and is definitely notaffiliated with terrorism. The magazine insulted the Muslim faith via that published cartoon but the loss of life WAS NOT JUSTIFIED. Will the Prophet (Peace be unto him) be happy at such a blatant disregard of human life?  No!  Would God approve of this terrible attack? NO!!!

This is not the first time the Prophet was depicted in a drawing and the cartoonist behind it had to go in hiding after the death threats behind. One would think from then on, ‘publications’ like that would be avoided completely. Freedom of Speech is one thing but maintaining peace is another. What exactly where they trying to prove by publishing it in the first place, if their intention was not provocation? And how does killing the Charlie Hebdo staff make things right, except further blacken the name of Islam, Muslims accused of being terrorists and the families of the slain staff suffering under a great loss.   

I am very sad and heartsick about the whole matter. When will it all end; news about terrorist’s attacks, shootings, bombings where lives are taken and people left to grieve and speculate by asking that one question… why?

God help us all. 

JUSTICE FOR ARNELLA KAMANZI

I first saw the infamous video some time back  and I was immediately sickened and horrified at what I saw; a maid physically abusing an 18 month old baby left in her care and she had no idea there was  a hidden 'nanny cam' placed in the room when she was hurting that poor little girl. It wasn't until I read the story in detail yesterday I discovered that the little girl's father was the one who planted the nanny cam after he noticed the poor child's bruises and limping walk. To his credit, he didn't fly off the handle and accuse the maid outright (which would have put her on her guard),  instead the camera was planted to get proof , a risky move since the child may have gotten beaten to death (but THANK GOD that didn't happen ) which he handed over to the police and Jolly Tumuhiirwe was arrested.
I used to think the practice of planting nanny cams was a blatant breach of trust but NOT anymore. What happened to Arnella Kamanzi was really terrible; I can't imagine why anyone would want to harm a helpless baby like Tumuhiirwe did. Didn't she have a shred of conscience when she hit and kicked the poor thing? And the audacity to tell the court she did it because Mrs. Kamanzi had beaten her hence the attack on the poor child was actually pay back. I have no idea if what she said about Arnella's mum was true but that does NOT justify physically abusing an innocent child.

So now, the 'monster maid' has been sentenced to 4 years in prison and she's just lucky she didn't do what she did here in Nigeria; I can only imagine how the parents and family of the child would've heavily descended on her before handing her over to the police. With what happened to Arnella, many families across the world, not just Uganda, would be more vigilant and careful when hiring maids and nannies to look after their children; character references from previous employers should be the main criteria before hiring at all. Arnella was very lucky and her father very clever and I think many more parents with young children should install nanny cams in their homes to make sure the nannies are really doing their jobs. That nanny cam along with the grace of God saved Arnella Kamanzi's life and I pray she is healing both physically and psychologically and will have no memories of that horrible incident.
As for Jolly, I hope she uses her time in prison to think over what she did and try to find some redemption. In court she asked the magistrate and the world to forgive her. SEE VIDEO
 Jolly, you should seek forgiveness from God.

CASTRO's LAST BOW

Before the shocking news of his suicide; the last we heard of this evil man was that the 'House of Hell' where he imprisoned his victims was torn down. At the time, I said 'good riddance', why should his house become a tourist attraction considering what went on in there for a decade? And I cannot believe what he said in court, ' I am not a monster, I am sick.' Man, I know mental illness exists but if he was truly sick he would have been sentenced to an institution of the criminally insane, not life imprisonment in jail. No, that evil man knew what he was doing big time, just as he knew what he was doing when he hanged himself in his cell after just a month in prison. Every one says he took the coward's way out, preferring to take his life after stealing 10 years of those poor girls' lives; after just one month! After many years of terrorising and killing innocent people, Hitler could not face impending arrest and probably the death penalty for his crimes, so he and his wife committed suicide. The biggest monsters are the biggest cowards, it seems.
For those who feel this man got off lightly, do not say that! He has gone to face an even higher judge.

CRIME AND NOT ENOUGH PUNISHMENT

The 17 year old  who  participated in the gang rape of a young woman (who is now dead) last year in Delhi has been sentenced  to just 3 years in a Reform school. Apparently, India's judiciary are putting his age into consideration and it has caused a huge outcry. (Look at the shameless being  now hiding his face under the pink hood)
3 YEARS??? Did he and his vicious band of evil bastards consider anything when they raped that poor young woman and beat her and her boyfriend with an iron rod- like what they were doing- the terrible physical and emotional trauma on her and her family and friends. Why should the justice system of India give him any consideration at all after the wicked thing he and his friends did- don't they care about their female flock at all? I don't usually support the death penalty but in the case of those thugs; they deserve to be stoned to death. It's as bad as that very very sad 1973 case of Aruna Shanbaug; her attacker (a cleaner working at the same hospital she was employed as a nurse)  left her to die after sodomising her with a metal rod and strangling her with a metal rod. Till NOW, she is in a coma and he is roaming around free under another name. (God will judge him wherever he is in the HereAfter)
Even if they refused to give this present criminal the death penalty, 3 years is too small. The conviction time for the others is yet to be known but the world hopes that justice will be served. India has the bad  reputation of not giving justice to violated women; they have to think of the women and not the welfare of their attackers. If they keep on passing  judgement so lightly like this, the women cannot ever feel safe. May God protect us all.

Racial Equality Under The Law: A Myth? Trayvon and Marissa

Trayvon Martin's case is still an open matter; not just because he died so senselessly but also the reason why his killer shot him in the first place and why he was found not guilty instead of imprisoned. It simply doesn't make sense to me and, I'm confident, a lot of people who feel that Zimmerman should be punished.
 Here was a boy returning from an errand and a supposedly well meaning neighourhood watch volunteer-Zimmerman- trailed him why... the boy's hoodie and (whether he wants to deny it or not), the colour of his skin. Trayvon was not armed and obviously was offended when Zimmerman approached him thinking he was a criminal and before we could catch our breath, Trayvon was shot in a so called  act of self defense; not an accident, so called self defense. Zimmerman's lawyers seem to blame Trayvon than this killer, for what exactly, when once again, I emphasize, he was not armed? I don't take sides with anybody nor judge anybody because of their race- I'm all for universal brotherhood. And I honestly thought that after all these years, America would treat its citizens equally regardless of race; yet some thought that Trayvon was at fault and deserved what he got. I read in Huffington Post about a  rascist- a 17 year old waitress- who actually posted on Facebook this terrible sentence: "Thank God For the Bullet That Killed Trayvon Martin". As a result she was sacked. (Unless she repents, she will answer to God in the Hereafter and May she burn in hell)
The all-female jury; another thing I did not understand at all- were they no mothers among them for God's sake? How would they feel if their own children were profiled because of their skin and manner of dressing and then killed? One juror fought for Trayvon to receive justice but being the only one she was in the minority and as such, Zimmerman went free. Why did they decide to say NOT GUILTY when Zimmerman had obviously killed Trayvon for no damned reason? Lack of evidence or rather lack of witnesses? So many questions that are yet to be answered. 
Supporters of Zimmerman no doubt feel that the African American citizens and the Africans round the globe shouting for this man's punishment are playing the race card. No... we are NOT playing the race card nor a persecution complex because a travesty of justice like this occurred some time back.

 Last year a black woman, practicing the same Florida law of ' Stand Your Ground' that protected Zimmerman, fired warning shots while fleeing her abusive husband, an attempt to scare him. Warning shots that was in no way aimed at him yet... yet!... she was sentenced to 20 years in prison! How that that possibly sound fair when she did not kill anybody and did the judge happen to remember she was trying to escape domestic abuse? My God!
If this is a racial issue, the law that allowed Zimmerman to go free forced the African American populace and other supporters  to make it a  racial issue because honestly- the verdict was so stupid and biased. Marissa Alexander's 'Stand Your Ground' defense was thrown out and she is to spend 20 years in prison while Zimmerman is grinning like a fool and free as a bird after killing Trayvon. If that is not racial discrimination; I don't know what it is!
I am sad, angry and very disillusioned. I know there is still some level of racism in America but I did not know it extended to such unfairness in justice. America is a country I hope to live in; but with this; all I can think about is how people with my skin have to be careful of what they say, do or go in order to avoid problems with the law or racists who are still bent on judging us because of the colour of our skin. Thank God for those who aren't like that; those who marched and advocated for racial equality. Trayon and Marissa's unjust justice is simply too outrageous to be ignored like that and the fight for them goes on.

I SAY NO DEAL!

First off, what sort of man like this inhuman creature would keep helpless women in his cellar for his own perverse and sadistic pleasures? The incredible story itself and Ariel Castro's face on CNN made my skin crawl and I felt ill at the thought of the long ordeal those women faced until they finally made that fateful desperate attempt at freedom. He raped and  tortured them continuously  and his fourth victim  did not even get out alive. Yet, he pleaded 'Not Guilty'.  He deserves all the punishments that can be listed out and then some! With the terrible things he did, how on earth, according to what I found out, that he is to be offered a plea bargain and apparently if he accepts, he will dodge the death penalty  A plea bargain, after everything he did to those women? 
THEY CAN'T BE SERIOUS! were the words that came out my mouth after hearing this. Why give this evil man an option at all;  besides the physical trauma he inflicted on his victims, what about the emotional trauma they suffered, as well their distraught families? No, no, no... I don't agree with this idea. It's almost like the case of that rapist in Morocco some time back who was given the option of marrying his 16 year old victim or going to jail. And what happened... that poor girl committed suicide!
This is not about about the death penalty; this is about Castro being given an option at all. He deserves no options at all- he is an animal; a filthy, twisted creature who deserves to rot in hell.
I'm all for the 'Innocent Until Proven Guilty' procedure but his lawyers can talk all they want- this man is glaringly guilty and should get whats coming to him. Plea Bargain indeed!
With this plea, he has been sentenced to life imprisonment without parole instead of the death sentence. At least he has been punished and his victims can now breathe easy and thank God for His deliverance.

'... And Justice For All' Where is Trayvon's? (continued)

I have relatives in the United States, including a young cousin studying in Boston, and I would hate if any of them and many more African Americans suffer the terrible injustice and pain Trayvon Martin and his family are currently suffering after his killer- after using the excuse of self-defence- acquitted of his murder. As  President Obama said, they are in a democratic country governed by laws. But after the stunning verdict, I thought about Trayvon and his family over and over again, and I thought, 'WHERE is Trayvon's justice if the words '...And Justice For All is true?
If every citizen- black, white, Hispanic- is truly equal in America today, then Trayvon Martin and his family should have justice. The man who deprived a family of their son because of so-called 'self-defence' committed a crime, not a shooting. And if every African American would be suspected of being a criminal because of a hoodie and race; then we are living in a very sad world where we are STILL being judged by the colour of our skin. Thankfully, not all people succumb to the ugliness of racism. My late father was a student in England back in the 60s and even though he faced racism from some people, there were many Caucasians who treated him like a friend and made him feel at home. I have made many friends on Twitter who have treated me with nothing but kindness and sincere friendliness since I joined that social network. 

Trayvon Martin's death is as sad as Damilola Taylor's- a boy much younger than him who was stabbed to death with a broken glass by some teenagers in England years ago and he was his Nigerian parents' only son.
Racial profiling is as ugly as racial discrimination, and it has ended a young boy's life. Zimmerman's acquittal is a travesty of justice. It cannot be borne and it won't be borne. With this unjust acquittal, another George Zimmerman can easily shoot another African American teenager and then say that it waself-defencese after thinking... no... assuming the person in question was a criminal.

I really  hope that the efforts of the NAACP to have this man charged with civil rights violation will yield positive results. If he is still able to wiggle his way out the charge; he should keep in mind that The Day of Judgement, where he will be judged by God for his crime; will inevitably come.

'... And Justice For All' Where is Trayvon's?

After everything said and done; George Zimmerman was found NOT guilty for shooting 17 year old Trayvon Martin; an unarmed teenager who was returning to his home after running an errand. Zimmerman approached the boy in the first place because he wore a hoodie and he was black; both equals 'suspicious suspect' and in the cause of trying to be a hero- a family was deprived of their son and Zimmerman walks; along with the same gun he used to shoot Trayvon. No justice for that unfortunate boy or his grieving family.
I don't understand this 'stand your ground' law in Florida and I don't understand this; the fact that the boy was black and wearing a hoodie; does that give one the right to assume that the person is up to no good? Would Zimmerman have gone after the boy if the boy was white? When it happened; I wanted to assume that Zimmerman's action wasn't racist but an act of pure idiocy but I was infuriated when I learnt that he actually pleaded NOT guilty in court; what... did the gun accidentally go off?
Lord knows why the jury reached the 'not guilty' verdict over this case. WHY did this horrible man disobey the police's instruction about staying where he was, WHY  did he have to shoot that poor boy, WHY and HOW can he actually defend his action when Trayvon was not even armed... he wasn't even armed; didn't the jury remember that? Of what use can one call America the land of the free if people with black skin are equivalent to evil criminals and not able to get deserved justice?
So now, this man has gone free along with his gun; free to shoot somebody else's child. Well, let him roam free; I wonder if he will ever sleep well at night knowing the pain he's inflicted on Trayvon's family and still maintain that he did what was expected from him. But I also hope that the people who loved Trayvon and the supporters of the Martin family will take heed of President Obama's words about honouring Trayvon's memory by curbing gun violence and the vigilantes should do nothing to make matters worse. Hounding Zimmerman and starting fires and violent protests will not bring that unfortunate boy back.
Zimmerman may have escaped the long prison sentence he deserved but if he is a God fearing man (which I very much doubt), for the rest of his life he should remember that he will not escape justice from God on his day of reckoning. He feels he did the right thing acting on so called instinct before he ended the life of a young boy; He will answer to God on the Day Of Judgement.
May Trayvon Martin rest in peace and may his family  be given spiritual healing as they move on with their lives.

Criminal Control, NOT Gun Control!

Definition of the word “Life”...  the ability to breathe, to grow, reproduce etc.; which people, animals and plants have before they die and which objects e.g. stones; do not have. Definition of the word “Death”... the end of life, the state of being dead, the fact of somebody dying or bring killed.

Life is regarded as the most precious thing we have in this world and I personally regard it far more precious than money or anything that money can buy. Just as I know that Death is certain and inevitable and my greatest fear. But I and many other people in this planet always pray for to live for a very long time... to a ripe old age with our minds still intact enough to reminisce about the day when we were young and stronger and ask God for His Mercy in the Hereafter.

I have lost people I loved over the years; my grandmother, my father, a few cousins, a few childhood friends; last time it was the son of a cousin who I held in my arms when he was a baby. He was 17 years old, a brilliant student and a sickle cell victim; even with all we’ve been taught in my religion about how to deal with death; the same thing kept going through my mind on the day of his funeral... Niyi was too young to die. Before him was Sugbomi; a few months older than I was; a sweet young man and a doctor who died from a relapse of tuberculosis. What haunted me was how he died; collapsing under a bridge on the way from work. After thinking about his parents and siblings he’d left behind, I found myself wondering about Sugbomi’s last thoughts before he breathed his last and I wept at the thought of him dying, surrounded by strangers and the same thought... Sugbomi was too young to die.  But at least, they died from diseases, not by somebody’s hand. It doesn't make it easier to bear considering how much they meant to the family but we strongly believe in the Hereafter and we prayed God accepts amongst His chosen few.

 We all have to die sometime but we never hope to die violently, e.g. a terrible accident or murder. As if terrorists and ritualists here weren't bad enough; we hear in the News about serial killers who just go somewhere with a gun and start shooting innocent people for no reason before killing themselves. Months ago, a crazy man shot a congresswoman, another one shot patrons of a cinema who were watching “DARK KNIGHT RISES”, now the latest was a 20 year old (who allegedly had a personality disorder) young man who entered an elementary school and shot over 20 children; ages ranging from 5-7 years old, some teachers and the principal; another victim was his own mother. I can’t even imagine what the parents are going through right now; their darlings gunned down in the blink of an eye and with Christmas next week- it’s a sad, terrible thing to have happened and personality disorder or not- I curse the sick bastard who committed this atrocity and I hope wherever he is, he is suffering as he has made the families of his victims suffer. If he wasn't gunned down himself, where would he be now; a prison cell awaiting execution or a psychiatric ward? Psychiatrists, I gathered, don't believe in the word “evil”; a mental person is sick and has no idea what he or she was doing at the time thus, the plea of insanity and they are put away until they are cured. They aren’t the ones who have to live in grief and pain over the death of a beloved one. Just like that- there is a solution for the mental illness, there is no cure for the people left behind- except Prayer and Time to give them the strength to somehow move on with their lives after such a tragedy.

I don't understand and can never understand why a person would wilfully take the life of another. Money, Jealousy, Power, Mental Illness... the list is endless.  Watching “Criminal Minds” and “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”  I noticed most of the killers do it because of one mental illness or the other, which makes them unrepentant and remorseless, which always makes me cringe. Why Adam Lanza killed those innocent people, we will never know. Personality Disorder was his illness, should he be pitied after taking the lives of those innocent children and their teachers, their principal and his own mother? Now there is talk about President Obama issuing stricter gun control laws; but will that make things better? There are other weapons and more evil people out there; who kill for the sake of killing and then are diagnosed as “mentally ill”. You name it, strangulation, fires, knives, bombs! Just how long will that be accepted as a valid excuse not to punish them as they deserve? Seeing the photos of those beautiful children and the teaching staff who were killed breaks my heart and my heart goes out to their families. I pray God gives them the strength and fortitude to bear this great loss and that He gives His Mercy to the slain ones. Life is very precious, yet SO unpredictable that it is frightening. But God is our strength and we must continue to seek His divine protection. Evil people set out to destroy and take away lives. Even if they escape punishment for one reason or the other in this world; there is the Hereafter and God is waiting for them to give His Ultimate Justice.

May the souls of the victims of the Newton shooting rest in peace. 

"THOU SHALL NOT KILL"- 6th Commandment

A PRANK IS A PRANK

There is NO such thing as a harmless prank; usually they are played to get a laugh at the expense of the victim or to see if it could be done without detection or see how the overall outcome. Just recently; two Australian DJs played a prank in the form of a crank call to the hospital where the Duchess of Cambridge (Kate Middleton, wife of Prince William) was receiving treatment and a few days later, the unfortunately duped nurse who received the call and passed it on committed suicide. Whether or not those two were responsible for that lady's suicide; they misused the freedom of expression and I don't sympathize with their excuse of "It was never meant to go that far. It was meant to be a silly little prank that so many people have done before"; they had no right to do it in the first place- what ever happened to the right of privacy; which is what the Royal couple are entitled to like everybody else? That prank was not funny at all in the first place and after this incident they and many other pranksters should realise that even a small prank- just  like a lie-  goes a very long way and could cause a huge amount of trouble or pain in the long run. I am disgusted with those two DJs ; they should be ashamed of themselves and I hope their conscience haunts them for a very long time.
And then there is another prank case I just read about; in a school in Indiana, USA; three students actually spiked a fellow student's lunch with Vicodin- a medicine for headache, resulting in the victim suffering from headaches and vomiting. Here in Nigeria,  those idiotic boys would be suspended from school after receiving well deserved flogging. Why do some people feel the need to do these things; can  the excuse "it was just a joke" justify them putting a narcotic in somebody's food in the first place? What were they hoping to gain...a laugh, the victim's reaction- how would they feel if the victim had died and they will find themselves expelled and placed in a juvenile detention center?
A prank is a prank and it is a form of bullying; one should not be encouraged to play it however funny it sounds; it's the victim who gets the blunt of it and I can't see how a prankster can derive pleasure of doing it just to gain a laugh.