Irrational impulses are not
surprising in the stress and tension that characterize a demented society. In
an atmosphere of violence, reason is sometimes abandoned and humanitarian
principles forgotten. The inflamed passions of the time lead men and women to
commit atrocities.
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| *President Buhari and Army Chief, Gen Burutai |
But the concern here is not with the psychological pathology
of those who commit atrocities but rather with what has turned our nation into
a slaughterhouse where human beings are daily killed with intimidating
alacrity. Throughout modern history, atrocity propaganda has often mesmerized
readers thousands of kilometres away from the scene of the crime. Often, the
improbability of the actions described suggests that the stories were little
more than fantasies concocted for diverse reasons from even more diverse
sources.
