{"id":3115,"date":"2012-01-30T08:37:00","date_gmt":"2012-01-30T08:37:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/?p=3115"},"modified":"2023-10-15T13:11:49","modified_gmt":"2023-10-15T13:11:49","slug":"the-climate-of-fear","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/?p=3115","title":{"rendered":"The Climate of Fear"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_3116\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3116\" style=\"width: 204px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"3116\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/?attachment_id=3116\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ibrahimsheme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/IGP.jpg?fit=272%2C400&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"272,400\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"IGP\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;MD Abubakar, Acting Inspector General of Police&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ibrahimsheme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/IGP.jpg?fit=204%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ibrahimsheme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/IGP.jpg?fit=272%2C400&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-3116\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wip.ibrahimsheme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/IGP-204x300.jpg?resize=204%2C300&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"204\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ibrahimsheme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/IGP.jpg?resize=204%2C300&amp;ssl=1 204w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ibrahimsheme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/IGP.jpg?w=272&amp;ssl=1 272w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 204px) 100vw, 204px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3116\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">MD Abubakar, Acting Inspector General of Police<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n<p>A climate of fear \u2013 pervasive, dull and inexorable \u2013 has descended on much of Nigeria. It is like the harmattan season of the northern part of the country \u2013 cloudy, chilly and, for most categories of people, oppressive. This fear is palpable, clear and unpretentious. You can see it everywhere \u2013 in homes, markets, hospitals, on the roads, etc. \u2013 showing on people\u2019s faces even if not expressed by words of mouth.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>In years gone by, we used to hear stories of things that caused fear in far-flung countries like Somalia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Colombia, Northern Ireland, Palestine, etc. We used to hear, in the mass media, about bombs going off in public places, including worship centres, causing numerous deaths. They were like fairy tales, those stories, told by media that appeared as alien to us as the stories they told. Suicide bombings were the most outlandish occurence in those tales. A man (or woman!) strapping himself to a bomb and tweaking the control button, killing himself instantly in a blast? No, it could only happen in those lands. Here, we could not have anyone desperate enough as to take their own lives. Men with Kalashnikovs exchanging fire with policemen or even soldiers? Only members of the Cosa Nostra could do that \u2013 mostly in the movies or James Hadley Chase thrillers. Or, at worst, armed robbers somewhere in Lagos or the old Bendel.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Things have since changed. We have joined the global village. We are not neighbours to the village, but its occupants. Bombs started to go off in Maiduguri which, to many Nigerians, was another far-flung place somewhere on Planet Earth. A place tucked away near the border with Chad. Indeed, to many Nigerians, when you said Maiduguri they would wonder whether it was a city in Adamawa state, or even Katsina state. You had to tell them it was in Borno state. Yes, they have read the word Kanem-Bornu in their history books. And they could imagine that Borno was one of the states in Nigeria.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Now Nigeria is one big village itself. Reason: the killings we used to hear about are happening in our own neighbourhood, bringing Maiduguri closer home. Someone bombed the police\u2019s national headquarters in Abuja. Another bombed the UN house in the nation\u2019s capital. Bombs have gone off in Suleja and Madalla, killing Christian worshippers. Bombs went off in Kaduna, Damaturu, Bauchi, and Kano. And gun duels have taken place between angry militants and security forces in many towns in the north. In fact, as I wrote only two paragraphs of this piece, a friend who is fond of updating me on the ongoing violence in Kano phoned me from that city and said gunfire was being exchanged \u201cas I\u2019m talking to you\u201d in the Na\u2019ibawa area of the city.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>The people of Kano live more in fear than others because a war is going on in their streets. The harmattan of fear in the region\u2019s most populous city is like a heavy cloak that has descended on the people\u2019s reluctant shoulders, forcing a belly-numbing chill that has refused to go away. Muslims go to mosques in fear. Yesterday, according to reports, most Christians stayed at home, fearing that they could be attacked in their churches. Igbo traders, who arguably constitute the majority of non-indigenes in the city, live virtually with their hearts in their mouths. Their ancestral leaders back home, recalling the pogroms of the late 60s, have asked the trading adventurers to start returning home. Even the President has said that these terrible times are akin to the Civil War years. No wonder the under-reported exodus of Nigerians from various parts of the country is continuing unabated in spite of assurances by community leaders.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>The Kano killings of a fortnight ago have shown that the bombings and shootings can be indiscriminate. At least over half of the over 200 persons reported to have died in the mayhem were civilians who were caught in the deadly crossfires of the militants and the security forces. They were not carefully selected, but found themselves in the thick of the violence.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>A terrible aspect of this saga is that this numbing and perpetual fear is multidimensional: soldiers and policemen now fear civilians and vice versa, the former because they cannot distinguish between an innocent passerby and a bomb-wielding militant. You can see the fear in their eyes at police stations or the check-points. They are not sure of who you are as they scrutinise you, their fingers hovering restlessly over the trigger as you open your car boot. In Kaduna last week, I learnt that many policemen have stopped wearing their uniforms. At police stations, the usual petty \u2018cases\u2019 are no longer being entertained. \u201cGo and sort yourselves out,\u201d was the usual refrain by cops to complainants. \u201cWe have bigger issues on our hands.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Civilians fear security men because they know that if a soldier or a cop decides to shoot, no one would accuse him of anything, much less charge him for murder. It seems our security men have acquired emergency powers that they can use at will. They can detain a suspect for longer than is allowed by the laws of the land \u2013 or even kill him under one excuse or the other. They can invade a house or an office and ransack everywhere and take whatever they like. Many people live in fear of being accused of knowing a militant or of being one. In this climate, mutual suspicion is legion.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>The cost of this fear is unquantifiable. To businesses, to development projects, and to politics and governance, the cost is gargantuan. Our roads and streets have become war zones, with blockades and check-points everywhere. Traffic snarls are a familiar eyesore, as well as their attendant waste of time, energy and resources. The biggest cost, however, is the loss of lives, innocent lives, lives that could contribute to the progress of the nation. People are dying without anyone accounting for their death. In government, no one is resigning for their failure in forcing the present circumstance on the nation. They have to be pushed out. The only fall guy (so far) is Hafiz Ringim, who smilingly handed over the reins of his office to the new inspector-general of police on Thursday. He will not account for anything, including the strange escape of the now mythical Kabir Sokoto.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Shall we ever see the end of this climate of fear? Your guess is as good as mine. But whatever your guess is, it should accommodate the notion that we are not on the road out of this dark and chilly tunnel. So, what do you do when you are caught in a tunnel wherein clouds of fear are thick and menacing? Just one thing: pray.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><em>* Published in my column in Blueprint today<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div><p id=\"pvc_stats_3115\" class=\"pvc_stats total_only  \" data-element-id=\"3115\" style=\"\"><i class=\"pvc-stats-icon medium\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.0\" viewBox=\"0 0 502 315\" preserveAspectRatio=\"xMidYMid meet\"><g transform=\"translate(0,332) scale(0.1,-0.1)\" fill=\"\" stroke=\"none\"><path d=\"M2394 3279 l-29 -30 -3 -207 c-2 -182 0 -211 15 -242 39 -76 157 -76 196 0 15 31 17 60 15 243 l-3 209 -33 29 c-26 23 -41 29 -80 29 -41 0 -53 -5 -78 -31z\"\/><path d=\"M3085 3251 c-45 -19 -58 -50 -96 -229 -47 -217 -49 -260 -13 -295 52 -53 146 -42 177 20 16 31 87 366 87 410 0 70 -86 122 -155 94z\"\/><path d=\"M1751 3234 c-13 -9 -29 -31 -37 -50 -12 -29 -10 -49 21 -204 19 -94 39 -189 45 -210 14 -50 54 -80 110 -80 34 0 48 6 76 34 21 21 34 44 34 59 0 14 -18 113 -40 219 -37 178 -43 195 -70 221 -36 32 -101 37 -139 11z\"\/><path d=\"M1163 3073 c-36 -7 -73 -59 -73 -102 0 -56 133 -378 171 -413 34 -32 83 -37 129 -13 70 36 67 87 -16 290 -86 209 -89 214 -129 231 -35 14 -42 15 -82 7z\"\/><path d=\"M3689 3066 c-15 -9 -33 -30 -42 -48 -48 -103 -147 -355 -147 -375 0 -98 131 -148 192 -74 13 15 57 108 97 206 80 196 84 226 37 273 -30 30 -99 39 -137 18z\"\/><path d=\"M583 2784 c-38 -19 -67 -74 -58 -113 9 -42 211 -354 242 -373 16 -10 45 -18 66 -18 51 0 107 52 107 100 0 39 -1 41 -124 234 -80 126 -108 162 -133 173 -41 17 -61 16 -100 -3z\"\/><path d=\"M4250 2784 c-14 -9 -74 -91 -133 -183 -95 -150 -107 -173 -107 -213 0 -55 33 -94 87 -104 67 -13 90 8 211 198 130 202 137 225 78 284 -27 27 -42 34 -72 34 -22 0 -50 -8 -64 -16z\"\/><path d=\"M2275 2693 c-553 -48 -1095 -270 -1585 -649 -135 -104 -459 -423 -483 -476 -23 -49 -22 -139 2 -186 73 -142 361 -457 571 -626 285 -228 642 -407 990 -497 242 -63 336 -73 660 -74 310 0 370 5 595 52 535 111 1045 392 1455 803 122 121 250 273 275 326 19 41 19 137 0 174 -41 79 -309 363 -465 492 -447 370 -946 591 -1479 653 -113 14 -422 18 -536 8z m395 -428 c171 -34 330 -124 456 -258 112 -119 167 -219 211 -378 27 -96 24 -300 -5 -401 -72 -255 -236 -447 -474 -557 -132 -62 -201 -76 -368 -76 -167 0 -236 14 -368 76 -213 98 -373 271 -451 485 -162 444 86 934 547 1084 153 49 292 57 452 25z m909 -232 c222 -123 408 -262 593 -441 76 -74 138 -139 138 -144 0 -16 -233 -242 -330 -319 -155 -123 -309 -223 -461 -299 l-81 -41 32 46 c18 26 49 83 70 128 143 306 141 649 -6 957 -25 52 -61 116 -79 142 l-34 47 45 -20 c26 -10 76 -36 113 -56z m-2057 25 c-40 -58 -105 -190 -130 -263 -110 -324 -59 -707 132 -981 25 -35 42 -64 37 -64 -19 0 -241 119 -326 174 -188 122 -406 314 -532 468 l-58 71 108 103 c185 178 428 349 672 473 66 33 121 60 123 61 2 0 -10 -19 -26 -42z\"\/><path d=\"M2375 1950 c-198 -44 -350 -190 -395 -379 -18 -76 -8 -221 19 -290 114 -284 457 -406 731 -260 98 52 188 154 231 260 27 69 37 214 19 290 -38 163 -166 304 -326 360 -67 23 -215 33 -279 19z\"\/><\/g><\/svg><\/i> <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" alt=\"Loading\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ibrahimsheme.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/page-views-count\/ajax-loader-2x.gif?resize=16%2C16&#038;ssl=1\" border=0 \/><\/p><div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A climate of fear \u2013 pervasive, dull and inexorable \u2013 has descended on much of Nigeria. It is like the harmattan season of the northern part of the country \u2013 cloudy, chilly and, for most categories of people, oppressive. This fear is palpable, clear and unpretentious. You can see it everywhere \u2013 in homes, markets, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"pvc_stats_3115\" class=\"pvc_stats total_only  \" data-element-id=\"3115\" style=\"\"><i class=\"pvc-stats-icon medium\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.0\" viewBox=\"0 0 502 315\" preserveAspectRatio=\"xMidYMid meet\"><g transform=\"translate(0,332) scale(0.1,-0.1)\" fill=\"\" stroke=\"none\"><path d=\"M2394 3279 l-29 -30 -3 -207 c-2 -182 0 -211 15 -242 39 -76 157 -76 196 0 15 31 17 60 15 243 l-3 209 -33 29 c-26 23 -41 29 -80 29 -41 0 -53 -5 -78 -31z\"\/><path d=\"M3085 3251 c-45 -19 -58 -50 -96 -229 -47 -217 -49 -260 -13 -295 52 -53 146 -42 177 20 16 31 87 366 87 410 0 70 -86 122 -155 94z\"\/><path d=\"M1751 3234 c-13 -9 -29 -31 -37 -50 -12 -29 -10 -49 21 -204 19 -94 39 -189 45 -210 14 -50 54 -80 110 -80 34 0 48 6 76 34 21 21 34 44 34 59 0 14 -18 113 -40 219 -37 178 -43 195 -70 221 -36 32 -101 37 -139 11z\"\/><path d=\"M1163 3073 c-36 -7 -73 -59 -73 -102 0 -56 133 -378 171 -413 34 -32 83 -37 129 -13 70 36 67 87 -16 290 -86 209 -89 214 -129 231 -35 14 -42 15 -82 7z\"\/><path d=\"M3689 3066 c-15 -9 -33 -30 -42 -48 -48 -103 -147 -355 -147 -375 0 -98 131 -148 192 -74 13 15 57 108 97 206 80 196 84 226 37 273 -30 30 -99 39 -137 18z\"\/><path d=\"M583 2784 c-38 -19 -67 -74 -58 -113 9 -42 211 -354 242 -373 16 -10 45 -18 66 -18 51 0 107 52 107 100 0 39 -1 41 -124 234 -80 126 -108 162 -133 173 -41 17 -61 16 -100 -3z\"\/><path d=\"M4250 2784 c-14 -9 -74 -91 -133 -183 -95 -150 -107 -173 -107 -213 0 -55 33 -94 87 -104 67 -13 90 8 211 198 130 202 137 225 78 284 -27 27 -42 34 -72 34 -22 0 -50 -8 -64 -16z\"\/><path d=\"M2275 2693 c-553 -48 -1095 -270 -1585 -649 -135 -104 -459 -423 -483 -476 -23 -49 -22 -139 2 -186 73 -142 361 -457 571 -626 285 -228 642 -407 990 -497 242 -63 336 -73 660 -74 310 0 370 5 595 52 535 111 1045 392 1455 803 122 121 250 273 275 326 19 41 19 137 0 174 -41 79 -309 363 -465 492 -447 370 -946 591 -1479 653 -113 14 -422 18 -536 8z m395 -428 c171 -34 330 -124 456 -258 112 -119 167 -219 211 -378 27 -96 24 -300 -5 -401 -72 -255 -236 -447 -474 -557 -132 -62 -201 -76 -368 -76 -167 0 -236 14 -368 76 -213 98 -373 271 -451 485 -162 444 86 934 547 1084 153 49 292 57 452 25z m909 -232 c222 -123 408 -262 593 -441 76 -74 138 -139 138 -144 0 -16 -233 -242 -330 -319 -155 -123 -309 -223 -461 -299 l-81 -41 32 46 c18 26 49 83 70 128 143 306 141 649 -6 957 -25 52 -61 116 -79 142 l-34 47 45 -20 c26 -10 76 -36 113 -56z m-2057 25 c-40 -58 -105 -190 -130 -263 -110 -324 -59 -707 132 -981 25 -35 42 -64 37 -64 -19 0 -241 119 -326 174 -188 122 -406 314 -532 468 l-58 71 108 103 c185 178 428 349 672 473 66 33 121 60 123 61 2 0 -10 -19 -26 -42z\"\/><path d=\"M2375 1950 c-198 -44 -350 -190 -395 -379 -18 -76 -8 -221 19 -290 114 -284 457 -406 731 -260 98 52 188 154 231 260 27 69 37 214 19 290 -38 163 -166 304 -326 360 -67 23 -215 33 -279 19z\"\/><\/g><\/svg><\/i> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" alt=\"Loading\" src=\"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/page-views-count\/ajax-loader-2x.gif\" border=0 \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":3116,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_FSMCFIC_featured_image_caption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_nocaption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_hide":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3115","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-columns"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The Climate of Fear - Ibrahim Sheme<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/?p=3115\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Climate of Fear - Ibrahim Sheme\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A climate of fear \u2013 pervasive, dull and inexorable \u2013 has descended on much of Nigeria. It is like the harmattan season of the northern part of the country \u2013 cloudy, chilly and, for most categories of people, oppressive. This fear is palpable, clear and unpretentious. You can see it everywhere \u2013 in homes, markets, [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/?p=3115\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Ibrahim Sheme\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2012-01-30T08:37:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-10-15T13:11:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ibrahimsheme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/IGP.jpg?fit=272%2C400&ssl=1\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"272\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"400\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Nafisat\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"IBRAHIM SHEME\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/?p=3115#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/?p=3115\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Nafisat\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/#\/schema\/person\/bb4e2be5e35db546de899bf1493897e4\"},\"headline\":\"The Climate of Fear\",\"datePublished\":\"2012-01-30T08:37:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-10-15T13:11:49+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/?p=3115\"},\"wordCount\":1157,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/?p=3115#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ibrahimsheme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/IGP.jpg?fit=272%2C400&ssl=1\",\"articleSection\":[\"Columns\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/?p=3115#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/?p=3115\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/?p=3115\",\"name\":\"The Climate of Fear - 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Ibrahim Sheme","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/?p=3115","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Climate of Fear - Ibrahim Sheme","og_description":"A climate of fear \u2013 pervasive, dull and inexorable \u2013 has descended on much of Nigeria. It is like the harmattan season of the northern part of the country \u2013 cloudy, chilly and, for most categories of people, oppressive. This fear is palpable, clear and unpretentious. You can see it everywhere \u2013 in homes, markets, [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/?p=3115","og_site_name":"Ibrahim Sheme","article_published_time":"2012-01-30T08:37:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-10-15T13:11:49+00:00","og_image":[{"width":272,"height":400,"url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ibrahimsheme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/IGP.jpg?fit=272%2C400&ssl=1","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Nafisat","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"IBRAHIM SHEME","Estimated reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/?p=3115#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/?p=3115"},"author":{"name":"Nafisat","@id":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/#\/schema\/person\/bb4e2be5e35db546de899bf1493897e4"},"headline":"The Climate of Fear","datePublished":"2012-01-30T08:37:00+00:00","dateModified":"2023-10-15T13:11:49+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/?p=3115"},"wordCount":1157,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/?p=3115#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ibrahimsheme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/IGP.jpg?fit=272%2C400&ssl=1","articleSection":["Columns"],"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/?p=3115#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/?p=3115","url":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/?p=3115","name":"The Climate of Fear - 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