To kill anyone for the sake of ideology, religion or ethnicity requires his dehumanization first before anything else. Dehumanization means removing the garment of humanity from his being, making him subhuman, just something not worthy of life or right because of his belief, position or ethnicity.
Once you can achieve that by attaching a tag to him not worthy of living, killing him comes easily; it can even be executed by others, while you share in the blame. You poured the petrol on him, while the others just lit the match. This has been a recurrent decimal, nay the fundamental requirement of all revolutions as well as religious and ethnic wars.
If you want Nigeria to live in peace, stop dehumanizing people. See every man or woman as a human that is same as yourself but who cannot be you. Though he or she may differ from you in one perspective or another, his life, property and dignity is as important as yours. Help him guard the three and not destroy them even if it means saving them from himself.
That is the essence of civilization. Keep my words and act on them my brother and sister...if you're civilized.
Dr. Aliyu U. Tilde
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