Insecurity: No more dreadlocks for motorcycle boys.
3 min read
Many young stars in Njaba LGA and a good number of motorcycle boys from Umuaka who keep dreadlocks have been forced by the prevailing circumstances in the State to cut off their hair. From Umuaka Times investigations, 10 out of every 15 motorcycle boys in the community keep dreadlocks. Umuaka Times correspondent who has been monitoring the events in the South Eastern states of Igboland confirmed that the high spate of insecurity, indiscriminate arrests of young boys and their alleged killings, forced the motorcycle boys to have their haircut as a protective measure from the hands of some federal security agents scattered in the Southeastern states at present. There is a heavy allegation at certain quarters across the Southeast, especially in Imo State that boys on dreadlocks and tattoos are constantly harassed and extorted by security officials.
Confirming this allegation last week, a motorcycle boy who spoke to Umuaka Times who did not want his name mentioned, said that those of them who wear dreadlocks and tattoos on the conspicuous parts of their bodies seriously stood the changes of being taken away by the federal forces and would never return. The motorcycle boy also wondered when the wearing of dreadlocks became an offence in Nigeria. He described those security agents who brutalize guys on dreadlocks as timid and jealous.
When the Umuaka Times correspondent took a tour of some villages in the community, he was unable to recognize some of the boys after they had their dreadlocks totally cut off. The publisher of Umuaka Times who has been keeping dreadlocks since the inception of Umuaka Times had his dreadlocks cut off as well for a certain reason. Although his reason for cutting the dreadlocks was because of the mistake made by his barber while he was taking his normal haircut. Out of annoyance, he ordered the barber to remove the whole hair. This development coincided with the decision of the motorcycle boys to totally remove their dreadlocks in order not to be victimized by anybody.
For now, there is still a couple of motorcycle boys who still keeps dreadlocks. Some of them also spoke with Umuaka Times and vowed never to cut the dreadlocks.
There is a growing false impression that those who keep dreadlocks are criminals. A couple of months ago, Umuaka Times publisher was asked by a very top police officer in Owerri to explain why he kept dreadlocks, a sign of intention to commit crime. He challenged the police officer to explain to him if those who have stolen from the coffers of this country from 1960 till date were keeping dreadlocks. He further asked the senior officer to convince him by mentioning some the names of police officers sacked from the institution for their involvement in crimes and corruption kept dreadlocks. He finally ended the discussion by asking the officer if Bob Markey, Tracy Chapman, some top Nigerian footballers, Kofi Kingston, top Nigerian film producers and musicians including some clergymen can also be called criminals on the account of their dreadlocks.
