Kindness to a snake is wickedness to yourself. And sometimes, it is beyond self wickedness. It could even be suicide. Jerry Rawlings planned a coup against Ignatius Kutu Acheampong and failed. So he was imprisoned. From prison, he and his colleagues executed a successful coup and killed the Acheampong who had failed to kill Rawlings. This is just an illustration. It is not a judgment on the goodness or badness of Acheampong or Rawlings. It is just a life lesson that those whose mistakes you spared may not necessarily spare yours. People act according to their nature, not according to yours.