Should former child soldiers pay the price of their sins?

For those of you who follow African news and are all too familiar with some of the atrocities committed by warring factions might be familiar with a group called the Lords Resistance Army (LRA). This group committed unimaginable atrocities in Northern Uganda. They were known to kidnap children and force them to join their group. These children were made to do things that no child should know not to talk about experiencing them. For a good read about one of the child soldiers experience, read this:  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/uganda/10621792/Konys-child-soldiers-When-you-kill-for-the-first-time-you-change.html.

Currently on the news is the story of a former child soldier, Mr Ongwen, who was said to have lead attacks on four camps for internally displaced people (IDPs) in northern Uganda, murdering and torturing civilians, and forcing women into marriage and children to take part in the fighting.

Mr Dominic Ongwen appeared at the International Criminal Court, pleaded not guilty and told judges he was a victim too. He told the court that the charges should be brought against the LRA and its leader Joseph Kony, not him.

"It is the LRA who abducted people in northern Uganda, killed people in northern Uganda and committed atrocities in northern Uganda. I'm one of the people against whom the LRA committed atrocities. It is not me who is the LRA," he said.

Dominic was abducted by LRA at the age of 10 as he walked to school in northern Uganda and over the years, rose to become a top commander.

Is Dominic a victim of Joseph Kony or should he be made to face justice for all the ‘atrocities’ he has been accused of committing? 

Do you agree that charges should be brought against the LRA and its leader Joseph Kony, not him?

What are your thoughts?

Source from bbc.co.uk: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-38219007

Happy Independence day to Nigeria

I was talking to a close friend of mine that Nigerians will be celebrating their independence on the 1^st of October and my friend asked whom Nigerians are celebrating independence from. I said from the British colony. He went ahead to ask me if it is something really to celebrate since the country has not done much better since the end of colonialism. Well, I answered it is a big thing to celebrate. Freedom is a huge thing to celebrate. We may not have done much better since the end of colonialism but we have come a long way. Think of the ills of colonialism, I mean the whole of Africa is still suffering from the ills of that era. It will take time and dedication from every African to deal with the ills of colonialism but the truth is that Africans have no other choice but to progress. To all Nigerians out there; enjoy the Independence Day.