Maryam Sanda And Darkness At The End Of The Tunnel -By Ishaq Usman

Maryam Sanda and late husband

We were awakened by screams of surprise, pains and wonderment as we read continuously, the outpour of reactions that greeted the Maryam Sanda Episode (MSE). People talked, shouted, insulted and condemned her, likening her to the devil. What even compounded her case was her beautiful history of consistent violence. Her husband’s, the deceased Bilyamin, may Allah rest his soul, gentleman nature did nothing to douse to anger. Nigerian twittersphere were even further vexed after reading a thread done by @habibgajam where he, allegedly, painted a picture of an unrepentant Maryam who after heinously killing an innocent man,still colluded with people to surreptitiously and with dazzling intensity, clear the crime scene of any major evidence. Then came the jokes. Social Media was awash with pictures of men sleeping with guns and weapons,a precautionary measure, in case of anything Mephistopheian.

People made jokes and laughed. Some even mocked the expensive wedding. Men,some of them, masturbated on this issue so much to the point of irritation. I understand the outrage. I understand the anger. I understand why men feel slighted…we shouldn’t however forget that Women are greater victims of domestic violence. I don’t seem to understand why a single case is stretched beyond what it is. There is no doubt that Maryam did or committed something evil but why concentrate so much on it? Why make too much jokes out of it? Why is this case stretched to places where ordinarily shouldn’t be?

Today, we saw a picture of her holding the Holy Qur’an, reciting it in court and shedding tears. People still asked why she held the Qur’an. They asked where she kept the Quran when she was stabbing him. They said she was using the Qur’an to buy sympathy. They said she was using the Qur’an and her little daughter to whip public sentiment in her favour. And I ask them “What if she has repented? What if she just realized her being evil? What if she has sincerely asked Allah for forgiveness? What if this was what she needed to be even closer to Allah? What if she asked Bilyamin’s family for forgiveness and they did forgive her? What if Allah saw the sincerity in her repentance and forgave her? Really. ” What if God has forgiven her?” . We should ask ourselves that.

The problem is the permanent condemnation and stigma we graciously expend on people who have committed heinous sins. We leave no chance for a second chance. We continue to curse and insult them forgetting a very simple truism. Maryam even remembered God. How many of us will?

I’m not making a case for Maryam. She should carry her cross. Bilyamin must get justice. What is hurting is the erosion of our collective humanity. How we don’t want to ever give anyone a second chance. How we eternally condemn those who have done evil forgetting the evil we do daily. How we don’t forgive or have forgotten to forgive or how we don’t even want to or care to forgive. How we destroy people with our mouths. How we consciously revel in the faults of others forgetting ours. How we, instead of light, gather all the fire wood possible,make a fire, sing, wiggle, dance, drink and create darkness at the end of the tunnel….

Ishaq Usman
A writer and poet from Kano state.
He can be reached on @NajAlpharouque on Twitter