By Ayodele Ale
Some years back, a church member rushed to my house to inform me that the choir leader of the church I was pastoring then and her hubby were engaing in deadly fight in their house. I raced there and the sight was horrible. On sighting me, the husband told me to turn back. “Don’t enter this place. The only thing I am respecting is your anointing,” he blurted. I looked at my legs like an old soldier; ‘Left, right, left, right, left, right.’ I marched back into my car. I don’t separate fight. Whoever wins, the police will come to effect the arrest (if need be).
I lived with a couple shortly after I left secondary school. They were a quarelsome bunch. One night, when they were fighting, I moved the children out and locked the door, stood outside and prevented the regular meddlers from coming in to separate them – they were merely watching that night’s episode from the window. My uncle and his wife fought till they were tired and panting like dogs. And it was then that I opened the door of their rented apartment. The 8-year-old daughter then spoke in Akure dialect, “My parents, you are shameless”. Shameless indeed.
Many years ago in my hometown, an aged woman was pushed to her death while separating a fight between two family members. The relatives covered it up and started dancing to celebrate her glorious exit some hours later.
Last Saturday, a fellowship member in my place of official assignment received a deep cut (into the lung) that landed him in the hospital while separating two women in his neighbourhood who were fighting with knife.
Same day, a mother was killed in Abuja whle separating the fight between her two children.
Some weeks ago, two young husbands fought to death when they took over the fight between their wives. The wives are alive and probably engaged to other lovers today, but their foolish husbands died fighting on their behalf. Wo ti fi won dajo oru.
Also, sometimes back, the stone that an aggrieved fellow threw at the opponent in the course of a brawl landed on the head of a man trying to separate them. The peacemaker died instantly. The fight ended.
When you see foolish people fighting, don’t wait there, so that you do not become a victim of the momentary madness. Call law enforcement agents.
Nowadays, especially because of the economic situation, ‘people dey craze.’
“Blessed are the peacemakers,” only if they survive.
*Ayodele Ale is a trained journalist and lawyer