Hardball
Many Nigerians have been puzzled by what could have made a nine-year old torch the iconic Ebeano Supermarket in Lokogoma district of Abuja on 17th July, since the CCTV footage of how the fire was suspected to have started became public. The fire blazed through the supermarket that Saturday evening and raged until Sunday morning, leaving the multi-million business enterprise in ruins despite efforts by firefighters to put it out.
In the CCTV footage that got into the public domain on 26th July and swiftly went viral on social media, a female suspect who has since been apprehended was seen making entry into the supermarket with two other females. The girl, dressed in a black top and a pair of jeans, could be seen subsequently walkingalone to a section of the supermarket where gas cylinders and electric cookers were on display; she looked furtively around her as if ascertaining that no one was watching, thenpicked up a lighter, lit an item there, even dallied apparently to make certain the fire caught properly before walking away.The blob she left behind soon after exploded into an inferno that engulfed the supermarket.Moments later, the three females including the suspect were seen outside where sympathisers had gathered. In another video clip, the young suspect and two others were shown being interrogated. “My mum took me to the shop. She wanted to buy drinks for my sister. We went to the market first before going to the shop. My mummy was with my sister at the drink section,” the little girl stuttered while being questioned by investigators.
It is absolutely galling that such huge investment in Nigeria’s economy was considered a fitting target for arson attack, for whatever motive. Investigators would have to unravel whether it was sheer juvenile delinquency or malicious conspiracy involving accomplices that are of age, who would have whatever liability resulting from the madcap incident duly coming to them.But the fact that the major suspect is a nine-year-old also introduced an unusual dimension to the incident and its probe by security agents that calls for acute sensitivity to her status as a minor. The media trial of the young girl entailed in the release of the video clips into public domain, without her identity being shielded, violated the sensitivity that should characterise decent societies about the rights of minors. Actually, somelawyers have argued that statutes like the Penal Code make allowance for prior determination whether a minor understood the nature and consequence of a crime before such minor is deemed accountable. The police should bear this in mind as they process findings about the dastardly arson, lest we become a society of brutes.
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