By Frank Meke
I really don’t know how to start this piece on Deputy Conservator of Park, Late Rauf Ayoola Muriana. His killing, extermination, wastage , murder by miscreants, fulani herders, and merchants of death is painful.
DCP Muriana served Nigeria for thirty-five years. He had seen it all in the unthankful job of protecting the silent beings of the earth in Nigeria. He had led his men to keep watch over Nigeria’s flora and fauna resources under the rain and sun .
At the beginning of his assignment and engagement as an officer of Nigeria National Park Service, Muriana like many other young officers like him, did not have the luxury of Ak 47, even dane gun, but rather faced the earth rapers, nature resources criminals armed to the teeth, were boldness, wisdom and knowledge of the ecosystem to outwit the blood sucking demons, whose forth is to trade on illegal exploitation of the nature resources.
Muriana indeed was one the finest officers, usually bearing the badge of National Park, an institution mandated to protect our national biosphere from the southern part of Nigeria to Northern fringes.
Mildly put, many unsung officers and rangers, protecting our earth biosphere, usually goes beyond the call of duty to preserve and protect the environment.
For years, many of these young persons had met with untimely death, some butchered, stabbed, kidnapped for ransom, and graviously murdered for standing up in defence and frustrating activities of killer poachers, illegal loggers,minners and lately rampaging fulani cattle grazers, with poisonous arrows and wickedly polluting steams and water bodies where rare species come for a drink.
While some Park Rangers did not survive or live to tell stories of their very challenging operational environment, Deputy Conservator of Park, Rauf Ayoola Muriana, did. Just for a few days!
His served well at his last station at Old OYO National Park and was given the best farewell pullout from Service. NPS is a regimented agency, and as usually done in a military environment, Muriana and his other retired officers were eulogiesied and got gun salute for their dedication to the country and people.
Home, sweet home to which Muriana had sacrificed love and care for wife and children, he must return. He headed home, without gratuity, and even out of station stipend, just with a heart full of gratitude to God and hunger to reunite with his family again.
Muriana left his family in ibbi, Niger state, tired of moving them from one station ( unit p to another across the country… In this business, annual leave or approval to go on holidays either for cultural or religious purposes is rare.
So Muriana was at least free for the life of bloody civilians. On his way, he never knew or had any inclination of danger. His mind was just to rest, chat with his children and lovely wife. It was Ramadan season, and for once, Muriana would not have to pray in the middle of the forest, with one eyes to heaven and the other, on watch out for slippery and cryptic nature criminals.
Just some few hours away home, kidnappers ambushed the vehicle, he was travelling with others and herdered their victims into the forests.
The Nigerian Army front base at Ibbi, zugruma sector of Kainji lake National Park, swung into action with local vigilantees in tow. Before the rescue team could circle the criminals, wicked men and boys, Muriana was killed, murdered by heartless entities, purveyors of darkness, and agents of Satan.
It was a gruesome murder too many. Muriana was a gentleman and officer, one of last generation of disciplined , self driven, hospitable, and well cultured officers of NPS that I had encountered.
We had a recent and very memorable meeting at Old OYO during a national assignment on conservation education and sensitization. He was my chief detail and guide.
I was hours behind schedule to the meetings spread across the operational sectors of the park due to a car accident on lagos- ibadan expressway. It was a close shave with death, but I called Muriana through his boss , CP Caroline Olory, that I would not fail to attend.
Long story short, after the meeting with the management team at the oyo headquarters of the Park, we set out to ikoyi ile, Igbeti, igboho, sepeteri and kisi.
Muriana was cool and calculating. He filled me with details and updates on developments around these areas. Old OYO National Park, just like others across the country, is home to me, but I have been away for a while.
I could perceive that Muriana is respected across the communities and his interventions counted. His Intel network and sources were superb and reliable, which made my assignment easy as wedding cake.
Before we retired at sepeteri visitors luxury chalets, I had debriefing sessions with late muriana and was convinced this unassuming and highly trained professional ecologist could hold his own anywhere.
This was in January this year. I had no premonition whatsoever that would be the last I would see this gentleman officer. I had on visit to the office of the Conservator General of the Federation, Dr Ibrahim musa Goni, shared my views on late muriana abilities.
Dr Ibrahim Goni was gracious and validated my observation and recommendation, but Muriana was just months away to retirement then.
He wished to drop me off in lagos after the visit, but I objected most respectfully, not willing to further stress him and his team, who watched over me like a young lad.
I had promised to return to holiday at sepeteri, an opportunity to learn more from Muriana on community relations and Intel management.
It was indeed a shattering of hope for me to learn that this energetic, committed, and dedicated senior Park Ranger was killed and murdered by wicked men.
Muriana survived the wilderness challenge, kept nature marauders at bay, slept without comfort in the forest, protecting the wild beings and on retirement, on his way home to warm embrace of wife, children and relations, enemies of Nigeria peace and security, struck.
The criminals smoked Muriana out and slaughtered him like Ram, a sad reminder that Nigeria is at Cross Road, a nation not officially at war but ravaged by gun welding criminals sponsored by sadists who are bent to steal and kill in order to plunder our pristine earth resources and goldmines.
Muriana, I don’t know what to say to your dear wife and children. Am lost at what to say to all the young officer Rangers you groomed and mentored. I had spoken to the CP, Old OYO, Teslim Adeniji. He was heartbroken. Brakat Sanusi, one of the best conservation education officers in the system and who worked closely with you at Igbeti, wept when I reached out to her.
The Conservator General of the Federation, Dr Ibrahim Goni, must be heavy laden about the killing of this innocent Nigerian. Muriana was one of his men, and I wonder what is going through his mind now. Take heart, dear CG.
To my friend and brother, late DCP Muriana, it is not good night yet. I believe you are still alive even though the criminals murdered you. I will pray that God keeps you in peace and consoles your family.
Your call and service to humanity were not in vain. We won’t forget. I will not forget you, dearest Ranger. Rest well, sir.