‘Gone too soon’ is one of those phrases that we often pander around without much thought. It has become an almost automatic reflex response to every news of death. However, once in a while we experience a needless loss of a life so young, and the phrase becomes very appropriate.
The recent murder (yes let’s call it exactly what it is, murder) of Sydney Gongodyo Gyabi by a lawless mob is befitting of the expression ‘gone too soon’. I never met Sydney-perhaps fortunately, as his death would have been that much more painful had I known him personally-but I knew his father, James Gyabi, very closely. This article is about Sydney, yet I cannot help saying a few words about my dear friend James.
When I joined the Judiciary as a Magistrate Grade 1 some 32 years ago, my first posting was to Lira Chief Magistrate’s Court headed by His Worship Godfrey Namundi as he then was, Chief Magistrate, Lira. James Gyabi was the Resident State Attorney, Lira. We were a small, tight-knit community of lawyers and public servants and got close.
James was also my neighbour – our verandahs faced each other, and we would often wave at each other and share pleasantries – and we developed a close friendship.
James was extremely friendly and got along well with everyone. It is ironic that Sydney was a victim of mob action, as James was a strong preacher against it and believed that even the worst criminals deserved their day in court. He believed that every person was entitled to full rights.
I remember one instance when soldiers arrested a notorious thief in Lira who had been engaged in various robberies – somehow he always walked away scot-free despite facing the legal process. The ‘thug’ was paraded to James’s office with a big mob baying for his blood. James boldly came out of his office and addressed the riotous crowd.
He warned them of the dangers of taking the law into their own hands and advised them to report to the police and hand over the suspect.
He promised that as State Attorney, he would sanction appropriate charges and prosecute the case to the full extent of the law. They grudgingly listened to James. Unfortunately, as he was being led to the Police station, some kind of scuffle ensued (apparent escape attempt), and he was shot dead! James stood steadfast for the rule of law.
As Resident State Attorney, James prosecuted many hardcore criminals. He was a diligent prosecutor with a very high conviction rate. Naturally, he made quite a few enemies. One night, as he parked his car and headed to his house, a gunman appeared from the shadows and shot James in the head. Yes, in the head! The bullet tore through the skin on his head and grazed his scalp. James bled profusely and was rushed to the hospital for treatment.
Miraculously, he survived! It is sad that 30 years later, his son has succumbed to a cruel death at the hands of murderers. Sydney was just 27 years old.
A budding professional with a promising sporting career as a talented rugby player. His dedication to his sport, including relentless training regimes, is well documented. But more than that, he had a family. He was a son, a father, a loving companion with his whole future ahead of him.
I have learnt that Sydney was a Budonian – something we share in common, albeit a generation apart. Being a Budonian (which is different from having studied at Budo) inculcates values in you. Makes you believe in the inherent goodness of humanity and that justice will always prevail.
That probably explains why Sydney did not run away from his assailants, expecting that he would be accorded a fair hearing and that they would listen to his explanation that he did nothing wrong. That telling the truth would exonerate and save him. Being a Budonian led him to believe that his plea for the thugs to spare his life would be met with mercy and not fall on deaf ears as it did.
Even as we mourn Sydney, this is perhaps a time for us to have self-reflection as a society. How have we reached a phase where it is normal for a mob to take the life of an innocent young man on the streets? It is heartening to see that several suspects have been arrested in connection with Sydney’s murder. James eulogised that whatever happens, Sydney will never be brought back to life.
I empathise with the grieving father but hope that through due process – which the murderers never accorded Sydney – the perpetrators will face the full force of the law and, in some little measure, pay for their actions. We must ensure that Sydney is not forgotten. That he does not become yet another number in our endless statistics of violent deaths.