In the midst of the Covid-19 lockdown, the least any family would want to be visited with is the death of a member. Perhaps when it is natural, it could be understood. However, May 12, 2020 for the family of Peter Bala, a secret service operative and a gentleman, he got what he never contemplated; as his son was killed in the most bizarre manner for a reason the world is yet to be told. KATDAPBA Y. GOBUM takes a look at the extra-judicial killing of Rinji Peter Bala, a 300-level student of History and International Studies of the University of Jos.

The recount of the sad news of the death of the University of Jos student filtered into homes as if they were being told a story of an invasion. Head or tail, the lines do not add up to the gravity of the loss of the life of the youngster.
What can be explained about the killing of the young man, who, for all intent and purposes they are charged to protect the citizens? While it looks odd, it is clearly an indication of the admissibility in several quarters that his death ‘must not be admitted as done in error just as ignorance will not be admitted in a court of law’. To be fair, this unfortunate murder; ‘even if he was a suspect, was not civil and justifiable’.
The trigger-happy security operative cannot be said not to differentiate between a criminal wanting to escape and a young man who had just been brought under his custody. That the Operation Safe Haven (OPSH) has already owned up to the act may be clearly a demonstration of the will to act. If the officer has been detained, the soothing balm is for justice to be rightly dispensed of; so as to serve as deterrence to others who may be in the league.
Rightly Governor Simon Lalong has expressed shock and sadness over the death of Rinji Peter Bala, who was said to have been shot by security personnel along Zaria Road, Jos on May 12, 2020.
Consequently, he has directed that thorough investigation be carried out to unravel the circumstances surrounding the killing of the young man. He assures that those found culpable will face the law of the land. Already, security personnel alleged to have been involved in the incident has been taken into custody for further investigation.
There are several questions to ask: Are professional soldiers trained to fire at defenseless citizens? Was the act done in response to open exchange of fire from an enemy? Could it be right to conclude that he fired at the young man because he was in danger from an enemy? 
The history of extra-judicial killings in Nigeria has been commonplace: Trigger-happy security personnel have continued to act clearly outside of the defined rules of engagement, thereby willingly terminate lives of innocent citizens with reckless abandon are said to be punished and or may be transferred to other commands and the cases die with the passage of time.
On several instances, when an incident such as this occurs; there are admixtures of voices in condemnation of the act through several press statements, visits and show of solidarity to the family. Before long, the voices die and the family is left with the sad memories of the painful loss. What must be done is a sustained effort to get justice for the murder. The fact that the person would not return is enough to pacify the family as someone or organization is made to pay for the act.
Sadly so, it is common knowledge that the state has lost a number of young men and women in circumstances that call for investigation and justice apportioned appropriately due largely to the gravity of the killings. It will be recalled that one Benjamin Arum Izang, was reportedly killed by peacekeepers in Jos, in February, 2020. Many of such opportunities may have eluded several families whose desire is for the state to give them justice. It should not linger for long.
If anything, the action of the state governor, Barr Simon Bako Lalong in this debacle is reassuring as it calls for all hands to be on deck to ensure that the Peter Bala family gets the justice it deserves in the circumstance.
katdapba Yunana Gobum