OPINION: That Brother Or Sister You Trust So Much May Actually Conspire To Kill Or Harm You, By Anayo M. Nwosu

Yes, only a fool would assume that he or she is safe from a fellow human. It is possible that your sibling would attempt or succeed in killing you or arranging your downfall.

The greatest irony of human race is that they don't learn from history.

Despite the abundance of evidence that a man is not necessarily safe from one's own siblings, people still believe they are safer with their relations than with strangers.

This safer "with a brother or relation" assumption is responsible for the following behaviours in our communities, states and the nation:

1. Nepotism in Government :
There is no other explanation other than "I am safer in the hands of my brother" that would make a leader ensure that all critical security architecture of his domain is in the hands of his immediate and remote relations joined together by descent or religion.

This is widely practised in Uganda, Saudi Arabia, Angola, Algeria, North Korean etc.

These relations are assumed to see the regime as their own and have a patriotic obligation to nip all security threats in the bud.

This philosophy works as long as there are no ambitious person in the security chain who has a dream to replace the person being protected. The process leading to the achievement of his ambition is usually costly.

2. Gang-up against a wife by her husband and his siblings:
There are cases where a man would prefer to share his secrets with his brothers and effectively leaving his legally wedded wife in the dark.

The man keeps living in the illusion his mother's children are indivisible and closely knit  would never allow even any wife to come between him and his brothers.

It is therefore common to see some business names like: Jude & Brothers Ltd, Musa Brothers or Obi & Brothers Ltd.

The heart rending part is that the so called lovely brothers would descend on the widow of their brother and his children and strip her and their dead brother's young children of their inheritance in the name of protecting their brother's assets. What a shame!

3. Clannishness in Big Churches:
Except in the main orthodox churches in Nigeria, the major pentecostal churches are so tribalistic in populating their hierarchy.

Despite the global claims of Assembles of God, Redeemed Christian Church of God, Deeper Life, Lord's Chosen etc, the first 20 pastors in order of hierarchy are from the same tribe of the General Overseers.

Before you call me names, please consider the following murder and treachery by two brothers from the same parents:

1.ABEL & CAIN : The first brothers descending from the humans God himself created were Cain and Abel. They were born of the same parents. One killed the other out of jealousy

2. ESUA & JACOB :
Jacob duped his father and his brother, Esua with the aid of their mother.

Shakespeare said that there is no art to read a mind's construction from the face.
So, it is very difficult to know how much your own blood brother covets you blessings or what you have. . Even your mother or siblings could be part of the plot.

JOSEPH & HIS BROTHERS:
Brothers from the same father may have not forgotten your childhood stories or statement on how successful you plan to be.

Some of them would be watching you and would be ready to strike before you take a shine of their stars.

It is usually so easy for them to finish you off when you rely on them for protection, the would want to avenge the torments you success inflicts on them.

They don't like your feel of superiority over them.

They will strike when you least expect it and it might be the unkindest cut.

4: JESUS EXPERIENCE : Brilliant bible students know that Judas that betrayed Jesus was from his home town.

Judas was the treasurer of Jesus' ministry. He wanted to make more money than he was making from pilfering money in his custody hence his conspiracy to betray his master.

CONCLUSION
Someone may ask "if so, how else can one  be safe?"

The answer is that "protection is from God".

Reliance on your relations or religious brothers for protection is self-deluding.

It takes the grace of God to survive a homegrown terror projected at one by a relation.

My strategy is to remain useful and responsive to my relations and close friends' needs in that, the fear of what they stand to lose if they kill or cripple me would keep deterring them from doing so until I conclude my tenancy on earth.