A wrist for a fish?

An eye for an eye” goes the old Mosaic law, all growling and vengeance, with nary an eye for justice.

But what would you call “a wrist for a fish”, a severe sentence on an 11-year old alleged to have stolen a fish — a fisherman’s law?

Right in Lagos and loud in infamy, Jeremiah Obifor, 61, a fish farmer, allegedly cut off the wrist of  Goodluck Amaechi, 11, for prowling around a fish pond; and either stealing  or with the intention of stealing fish!

Geez!  With such a severe sentence, which would have put the severe Greek lawgiver, Draco to shame, Ameachi sure is full of ill luck, even if his parents had christened him Goodluck!

The story, reported by The Nation of June 10, accompanied with a photo of Pa Obifor and his draconic machete, leaves you winded as what contemporary Nigeria is becoming, with a 61-year old hewing off the wrist of a 11-year old!  A savage urban redoubt?

The 50-year age distance between them — is it not supposed to count for something? What of parent-guardian/children-wards code — does that vanish in a moment of urban madness, no matter the instant provocation?

The presumption to strike is even more galling: “The suspect,” the story went, “alleged that he saw the victim around his fish pond and thought that he came to steal his fish and that was how he attacked him.”

Thought!  The audacity of thinking!  The certainty of cutting!  The tragedy of hewing off a wrist!

This is a well and truly gory tale, but it’s no fiction told by the moonlight!  It is a savage cut, well and truly condemnable.  What if the 11-year-old ends up with one wrist for life?

Let the victim get the best medical attention possible to save his wrist.  That should be the first priority.  On that score, appropriate quarters in the Lagos State government should show pay very close attention.

Then, let the police carry out a thorough investigation.  If the reportage is true, in all material particular, then they must ensure Obifor gets his day in court — and fast.

But even if Obifor could proffer reasonable reasons for his drastic action, the Lagos State government should ensure he gets medical help for anger management.

Even with the purest of motives, tempers like Obifor’s are a clear and present danger to any civilized society.  His immediate community must be protected from such savage menace!