The Guardian (Nigeria)

Bloody Barbarians (BB)

- By Kayode Steve Adaramoye

Judgment is turned away backwards Justice stands afar off

Truth is fallen in the street

Equity cannot enter

Alufansanr­a

Omoijonru*

A shame of shameless leaders In the enterprise of evil tycoons

They declare a 7-day fasting

They become more voracious than termites And more ravenous than the ravines As their teeth tearing flesh for flesh

Sado-masochist leaders obscenely rich While they make people abjectly poor In their evil enterprise, sacrifice Is anathema in their political lexicon

Ha! Rulers in Democracy

Of the wicked for the wicked

Of the kleptomani­acs for the kleptomani­acs Of the unholy for the unholy

The nation is made an open sepulcher Devouring the innocent hapless citizens Made vulnerable in their ignoble rule Creating woes in unheroic wars

They bake bread of affliction in oven of death They brew wine of death in brewery of blood They swallowed cities as mould of iyan To become fat fools in their Machiavell­ian plots

The nation, an open sepulcher

The nation, gallows in places

The nation, a huge dark void

The nation, evil sea breeding vampires

The vermin are busy in their industry Manufactur­ing orphans Manufactur­ing widows and widowers In the industry of misrule and cruelty

These Hitlers are destroying our today Sacrificin­g the glory of tomorrow On the altar of greed and impunity On the canvas of iniquity

Parasites on trees of glory

Sucking to death the blood of sufferers

Making ablution with blood of sufferers Mutilating flesh of the innocents to mincemeat

The blind leading the eyed

The wicked leading the righteous Pollution everywhere in carnival Turning holy field to Aceldama

The foolish are the instructor­s of the wise As the wise become lame and impotent With the tyranny of the buccaneers Occupying our political space

Jail breakers are the lawmakers Covenant breakers in the mills of law Dirty hands in the till of honor Dishonorab­le men in the factory of glory

The foolish instructin­g the wise In the market of ideas

The wicked converting the righteous In the bazaar of iniquities

The church breeding rogues

The mosque breeding vagabonds

The shrine crowning evil as king

All exalting unrighteou­sness in honor

The judiciary in a mess of pottage

Gifts corrupting minds

Bribe perverting judgment

Hallowed chambers of justice in evil cavity

The nation’s open space now landmines Darkness from open hell

Swathing the white glory

Burning apparel of bliss

They visit Jerusalem in throng

They visit Mecca in throng

They return with venom and poison To murder the peoples in droves

See them wearing hijabs in hypocrisy

See them wearing cassocks in hypocrisy See them wearing ritual shawl in hypocrisy See agents of Lucifer in white apparel Ha! Children are stillborn

In the maternity of iniquity

Glory is slaughtere­d in horror abattoir

All weeping in ignoble spree in sorrow-glee

They trade blood in blood for blood In the market of sin

Pitiless as raining ice in winter Insensitiv­e as cadaver in the mortuary

Weep for a nation wallowing in oppression Swimming in miscarriag­e of power

Killing people like cows for money

Killing people like fowls for power

Merchants of fortune pocketing oil blocks To unleash misfortune on the people As sorrow running in furrows of fire Turning oil boom to oil doom

Tell the bloody barbarians

That when justice shall come It’ll come in flood of fury

It’ll come in whirlwind of flame

On the soapbox

They appear in flowing babariga Promising Heaven

To deliver Hell

World war fought and won

Mau Mau war fought and won Kiriji war fought and won To launch men to orbit of freedom

Men of courage Women of valour Liberty collective­s

Rise up for your rights

Sounds of battles

Echoes of victory

Rise above danger No-holds-barred offensive

A nation citied on seven mountains Immersed in dim darkness Engulfed in flame of shame Swallowed up by cloud of destructio­n

Evil trees planted by evil men Booming as evergreen forest

Good finding it impossible to survive As light cannot penetrate the dim

The butchers put knife into our unity Through religious manipulati­on Through tribal and ethnic manipulati­on

And heads falling headlong, bowels gushing out

Evil men on evil assignment Plotting evil hegemony Planting evil in power To sustain power in evil for evil

Can ignorance be the shield? Can passivity be the victory? Can slavery be the freedom? Can darkness be the light?

No victory ever won

In the chambers of passivity To every tyranny, combat To every woe, rise against

Wake up the trumpet of freedom Blow the trumpet of glory

Power for power fight

The night shall not endure

The light of glory, beam The light of freedom, light The light of liberty, shoot To overcome the darkness

Fight a good fight of faith Fight a good fight of hope Fight a good fight of freedom Fight a good fight of liberty

Tell the bloody barbarians Judgment will come

It’ll come in flood of fury

It’ll come in whirlwind of flame! *The shepherd is feeding fat even while the flock in penury emaciates!

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