By EMMANUEL OGEBE

“Are you Kenyan?” That’s what I figured the man on the street in Rome was asking in a language I couldn’t understand.

“What about you?” I asked.

“Eritrea,” he replied. I showed him the address of my hotel which I was looking for, on my phone and then he grabbed it and began to run.

I chased after him and as he stumbled debated whether to hit him with my suitcase. He threw out my credit cards, ID and finally my phone and shouted something about “€5” and was gone.

I was stunned that within an hour of arrival in Rome, I had been robbed in broad daylight on Palm Sunday as the Pope was preaching in that same city.

But as I sorted through the items in my phone wallet dropped by the thief, I found my phone, dollars, credit cards, ID and even a €20 note left intact. It was then I realized the thief was telling me that he was only stealing “€5.”

So while I was annoyed that he had targeted me for obviously looking like a fellow African traveling, I realized that he had shown mercy even in criminality.

Taking my ID, credit cards and iPhone would be of no use to him and would unnecessarily wreak havoc on my life. Taking all my cash too could disrupt my trip. So he took the lowest currency and left the others for me. He was a kind thief.

I travel a bit internationally and have been duped in several countries but not robbed - or so I thought.

Then I recalled an incident weeks earlier in a place I called home.

I was profiled as a fellow African, made to feel I was being helped to find directions to my destination and then they snatched my wallet and ran away with it. Unlike the Roman thief, they took my credit, my identity, my money, my phone and my vote. They screwed up my life needlessly without compassion or compunction. Who were these robbers? The riggers of the Nigerian February elections.

Election theft is the mother of all crimes - it is also the gateway crime to a host of other crimes. Firstly, it is a robbery of 93 million eligible voters which impacts 200 million citizens including non-voters.

Sadly once one gets away with rigging, he is emboldened into other crimes of looting, misgovernance, etc, which results in countless avoidable deaths of the citizenry.

This probably explains why some Nigerians who were guilty of crimes abroad, returned home to acquire political power and commit more crimes with impunity.

At this Easter season, I am reminded in many ways about the parallels between the story of Christ and the situation of Nigeria.

At Calvary, there were two thieves crucified alongside Jesus. One taunted him saying, “If you’re really the son of God, free yourself and rescue us too.”

In his mockery, you can almost here the derisive voice of INEC chairman arrogantly declaring, “if you don’t like it, go to court.”

Then there is the other thief who upbraided his partner in crime saying, “this man is a good man but we are suffering for our own sins.”

That kind thief also wisely turned to Christ and asked, “please remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

The wicked thief wanted another term in earthly life to continue doing evil while the kind thief wanted mercy in the after life knowing he had done evil on earth.

Thus again we see in the wicked thief, the lack of penitence and a desire for perpetuation of wickedness but no thought about legacy or eternity just like Nigeria’s misrulers. They don’t take “only €5” – they take everything!

However wicked thieves do not just stop at wickedness and oppression. They must persecute their victims.

Another Easter story comes to mind as illustrated by the following.

(In the courtroom of Caiphas)

Witness 1 - APC: We heard him say that if he’s elected President, he will open a seaport in the east and all the Ibos will leave Lagos ports and Lagos economy will crash as will Tinubu’s taxation empire.

Witness 2 - Arewa: No, no! What he said is that if elected, he will actualize Biafra and the Ibos will find their freedom and self-determination from Nigeria.

Caiphas: But these two statements are contradictory. Which is it???

(To the accused): So is it true that you believe in one Nigeria and that every religion should have equal footing instead of one having dominance over all facets of national life?

The accused: it is as you say.

Caiphas: oh, my God. Blasphemy! What more do I need to hear? Take him out and crucify him!

And so went forth the DSS to take him away for inquisition and torture and Mahmoud Yakubu who had betrayed him for 30 pieces of silver, looked on approvingly from behind as Obi was led to the court of Pilate. And they chose Barabbas the thief over him…

In the court of Nigeria’s Sanhedrin, those who are robbed are also flogged adding insult upon injury. The great Roman Empire under which a grave injustice was done to the son of God collapsed and is gone now. How does Nigeria expect to ever achieve any greatness with its penchant for wickedness, injustice and oppression of its people?

•Emmanuel Ogebe, Esq writes from Greece

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