By Shalom Kasim
For an umpteenth time in as many years, Billiri is once again being treated to a crash course in the kind of ‘coincidence’ that is almost too absurd to believe. In case the irony is too complex for the average observer, I will spell it out: In April 2019, an incident befell the fine folks in Madaki, inside Gombe metropolis, about 80 kilometers away from Billiri. Ten lives were taken, 30 others injured, as a confrontation unfolded in the dead of night between a group of Boys’ Brigade members and an NSCDC official. Now, fast forward to April 2025, six years after the blood-soaked celebration in Gombe: five -or so, the official number says- suffered the same fate as 10 of their kinsmen in 2019. What makes this even more audacious is that this is happening to my people, the ones who have been relegated to the margins and who don’t even make the headlines unless it is in the most grotesque of ways. We have seen this before. In 2019, it was the Boys’ Brigade, young people just trying to get to their Easter celebration, who were mowed down in the night by an NSCDC official. And then, in the aftermath, the usual parade of politicians offering thoughts and prayers, while the bodies of the dead are swiftly forgotten, and buried under promises that are never kept. This year, it is a truck. Just another truck, like the countless others that plow through our roads at breakneck speed, heedless of any kind of regulation or sense of responsibility. This truck didn’t care whether it was loaded or not, or whether it was barreling down a road where people were trying to celebrate Easter prayers. It didn’t care about anything, except doing what trucks do best: speeding through life and leaving destruction in their wake. And, of course, just like in 2019, my people, as if on cue, paid the price. And what is the government’s response? They scramble to put on a face of concern, wring their hands and assure us that “justice will be served.” How many more times do we need to hear that before we all collectively lose our minds?
I like to think the two incidents are just a coincidence, but no. I don’t believe in coincidences anymore. Not when you are dealing with a place like Billiri. Don’t be fooled by press releases and the fabricated narratives. This isn’t an accident. This is a systemic failure. And someone has to say something. Someone has to scream about the fact that people in Billiri are dying. Someone has to say that we have been left to die by a government that couldn’t care less about the lives of its people. What are the chances? Two major accidents, almost on the same date, the same demography, separated by six years? That’s the kind of coincidence that doesn’t sit right with me, especially when it is people I know. I am from Billiri. Billiri has always been home. That is where I grew up, where I used to join the easter procession from church, to dutsen Easter, down to Kantoma, and into the market, before trekking under the hot sun back home. It was the thing we did every Easter. It was like the whole community would gather, and we would all walk together like one big happy family. We had our lanterns and phones, we sang songs and danced, and life was good. We didn’t worry about trucks plowing through us or people dying. The worst thing that could happen was someone getting lost in the crowd.
But now? Now, I am sitting here thinking about the horrific accidents that have happened, and I am pissed. The idea that I could have been part of that procession this year and been caught up in that mess just makes my blood boil. Five people are dead. Five people, just like that. On almost the same date as what happened in 2019. And all I can think is, what the hell is going on? How is that even possible? Are we being punished for something? Because it sure feels that way. The worst part is, it’s the same people who have been dying. Why? Because we have been left to fend for ourselves, with no real support and no real infrastructure to keep us safe. I’m so tired of hearing the same tired excuses from the government: “Oh, it’s an accident,” or “It’s a tragedy.” Yeah, we know it’s a tragedy, but where’s the accountability? Where’s the responsibility for making sure this doesn’t happen again? Where’s the action that protects the people of Billiri? We are not stupid. We know the drill. We know that the system is broken. We know that the government will send out their usual press releases and condemn the accident. They will send their “thoughts and prayers,” and then go back to whatever they were doing. What pisses me off more than the fact that my people are being slaughtered in the streets like they are nothing is the silence from those in power who sit in their cushy offices in Gombe and Abuja. Where is the accountability? Where is the justice? I didn’t grow up in some fancy neighbourhood with security guards and gated fences. I grew up in Billiri, real Billiri. The kind of place where you walk those roads from Kentengereng, to Kantoma, to the market, year after year, with no fear. But now? Now, you can’t even walk down the same roads without the thought of being hit by a truck. What kind of sick joke is this? What kind of godforsaken place have we become?
And the worst part is that this is not even new; it’s been going on for years. The government knows about the dangers, they know about the lack of proper infrastructure, and they know about the reckless drivers speeding through our towns, but what do they do? Absolutely nothing. They keep sending out their empty promises, their condolences, their “thoughts and prayers,” that are not going to bring anyone back to life. They are going to fix neither the roads nor the systems that regulate these roads. They’re not going to stop people from dying.
So, enough of pretending like we are in some kind of fantasy where everything is going to magically get better. This is real life, and in real life, people die because the system doesn’t work for them. In real life, the people who need help the most are the ones getting crushed by the system that was supposed to protect them. We cannot just talk about the roads and leave it at that. There is a bigger game being played here, and the roads are just the stage. Why does a truck driver feel so entitled to just plow through a procession of people walking to celebrate their faith, like they are some kind of cockroach in his way? Think about it: How many times have we seen this same pattern of reckless driving in similar circumstances? At least. How many more innocent lives have to be lost before we start asking the hard questions? Somebody with an agenda is likely behind all of this. I am not saying that every truck driver is part of some conspiracy, but you can’t ignore the fact that this keeps happening, year after year, during key moments like the Easter procession. This is way too convenient.
I am sorry, but I’m not buying the story that these are just “accidents.” We’re talking about lives being lost in cold blood. Let’s not kid ourselves: These drivers know what they are doing. And when you consider the fact that we’ve had so many incidents like this, where things go from bad to worse in a blink of an eye, it gets you thinking: What the hell is going on?
The truth is that the system is failing us, but this isn’t just a failure of infrastructure. It is a failure of intent. You can’t tell me that all of this is random. The people who are supposed to be protecting us are just letting this happen. They are not lifting a finger. They are looking the other way while my people die. And we are supposed to just accept it, shut our mouths, and move on like it’s nothing. I don’t think so.
This is where I start to smell a rat. We have politicians who come in during election time with their crocodile tears and empty promises, pretending like they care. They will hug you, shake your hand, and say all the right things, but once they have gotten your vote, it is radio silence. They’re long gone, laughing all the way to the bank while we are still here, picking up the pieces. I am not saying that every politician is part of this -I am not that naïve. What I am saying is that there are people in power who want the status quo to remain. They want us to keep fighting amongst ourselves and looking the other way while they line their pockets. They want to keep my people in the gutter, literally and figuratively. These are people who have been made to believe they can do whatever the hell they want because they know they will get away with it. And they are not just getting away with it; they are profiting from it. This is about keeping the system broken and making sure the roads stay the way they are: dangerous and open for exploitation, because when things stay broken, that is when the people with power can steal.
This is exactly the kind of mess that has been brewing in Billiri for years. It’s not just the 2025 truck crash; it is the fact that we have been stuck in a loop of crises, and somehow, nothing changes. Look at what happened in 2021: when we almost went to full-on war over a leadership tussle. It was a mess of violence and bloodshed. People died over a leadership tussle, police officers were left injured, and the whole town was thrown into chaos. Why? Because there is an underlying issue that no one wants to talk about. The Big Boy tried to put the best spin on it. He came on TV, shook his head, and spoke about the need for peace and unity. He said he was ready to stake his life to protect his people. But that is the problem right there: the empty promises. What did we get in return? Curfews. Arrests. Empty consultations. Arrests for what? For protesting a process that was rigged from the start? For standing up to a system that didn’t dare to do the right thing?
Last year’s incident in Gombe on Christmas Day is another story in this patterned tragedy. Who can explain the thoughtlessness and negligence that led to this bus losing control and injuring innocent people during a season that was supposed to be about joy? The victims were simply out there celebrating and paying homage, then the next minute, they found themselves nursing injuries they never deserved.
Now, look at this new tragedy in 2025. Five dead, 13 injured, all because some truck driver was too reckless to slow down for a procession. And what is infuriating about all of this is that nothing has changed. We have had crises like this for years (over land, over leadership issues, over reckless drivers), and still, we are stuck in this ugly cycle of bloodshed and complete disregard for human life. It is not just the truck drivers we need to worry about. It is the people who continue to fuel this anarchy. They have created a perfect storm where the lives of my people mean absolutely nothing. When we speak up, we get told to be quiet, told to be peaceful, as though we have not already been through hell. This is the same broken system that has failed us time and time again. They use us as pawns in their power games, making empty speeches while my people continue to die. The problem is not the lack of leadership. It is the lack of will to fix what is broken.
Let’s just call it what it is: nonsense on steroids. This is the kind of leadership that claps for itself after setting the whole village on fire, then showing up late with a half bucket of water and expecting a standing ovation. If you cannot lead with justice, then that power is useless, because power without conscience is exactly what has brought us here to this avoidable grief. We will not forget, we will not be gaslit, and we will not be quiet. Billiri deserves better. The dead deserve justice, and the living deserve a break from this madness.
…Shalom Kasim is a managing editor at Mud Season Review.