In the early 90s, I watched a report on the brutal Liberian civil war by ace NTA reporter Godfrey Odu. In that report he recounted the story of two Liberian rebel fighters arguing about the position of a baby in the womb; the argument got heated and the only way it could be “resolved” was to get a pregnant woman, rip her womb open and find the “true position” of a baby in the womb! The rebels eventually did that as relayed by Odu in his bid to drive home the point of how brutal and senseless that civil war was.
So when on Friday, October 5, 2012, I read, and later watched four undergraduates from the University of Port-Harcourt, Biringa Chiadika Lordson, Ugonna Kelechi Obusor, Mike Lloyd Toku and Tekena Erikena being murdered in cold blood by some inhabitants of Omuokiri village in Aluu community of Ikwere Local Government Area of Rivers State, about three kilometers to the institution’s main campus over an alleged theft of a laptop computer and Blackberry phone. As I watched the video clip against my will, the question that popped into my mind was which of them “stole” the laptop and phone? Or was it the four of them that jointly “stole” the gadgets? These questions were necessary because listening to the background conversation points to the notion that it may be something other than the “stealing” of a laptop and phone. It was therefore not out of place that I feel what I felt when I first saw the Liberian report; horror. I was actually writing my piece on the Mubi massacre last week when the news broke.
What makes this story unbelievable and shocking was the fact that it was filmed; some of the “spectators” that witnessed the gory incident can be seen with their mobile phones recording every bit of the spectacle. In a premeditated and calculated act, the Aluu 4, as they are now known, were stripped naked, marched through town, beaten to a pulp and set ablaze by the “mob.” As expected, reactions was swift and damning, compelling the Senate president, Senator David Mark to have a rethink on a very thorny issue in political discourse, the need for a State police in the country.
I later read an account of the sister of one of the victims which I found instructive; she alleged that while her brother and his friends were being killed, three policemen had reportedly arrived and had, instead of intervening to save the lives of the “accused persons” and subsequently bring them to justice, they were alleged to have urged the mob to, “burn them alive”.
There was obviously nothing that the mob, the policemen and those filming with their mobile phone saw as untoward or dastardly in taking away lives which they could never give. It must have appeared very “normal” to all that people jeered, ululated and savoured what they had seen and regarded as a good spectacle to spice the start of their weekend! This is nothing short of the collective loss of our common humanity.
This barbaric and highly condemnable act that is reminiscent of the Stone Age came only a few days after Mubi and has raised serious concerns over off-campus residences for undergraduates. Would these undergraduates have been so gruesomely murdered if they had residences within the four walls of the ivory tower?
The emergence and growth of commercial off-campus students’ housing across mainly Nigerian public universities towns are recent but significant phenomena stimulated by student population explosion and prevailing lull in on-campus Students’ housing development. In the past, students’ housing was traditionally and almost exclusively on-campus. With time, however, student population explosion and paradigm shift in university on-campus accommodation policy combined to give rise to spontaneous development of commercial off-campus Students’ housing (hostel) in university towns across the country.
This development was further compounded by the growing shortage of funds in the university system at a time when there was an increase in the proportion of total expenditure devoted to education. The government, over the years, has not been meeting the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) recommendation of 26% of the total budget allocation to education sector. The paucity of fund available to the university system has been responsible for declining library, accommodation, social and laboratory facilities in recent years. This in no small way makes the governance of the university system a herculean task. This was when private developers and home owners in university towns rose to the occasion and started providing houses to fill the shortfall with its attendant repercussions.
Since almost all of the off-campus residences are not seen as the extension of the universities, most became safe haven for criminal activities both from undergraduates and those associated with them. Some of the incidences of cult activities that take place emanates from such off-campus residences where security is often lax. In addition to the question I posed earlier, I’d like to add: Given our present predicament of shortage of on-campus residences, is there anything university authorities can do to closely monitor these off-campus residences and see how they can be viewed as an unofficial extension of the campus?
I strongly believe that the probability of the incidences happening on any campus in Nigeria is really slim. No matter the gravity of the “crime” one or two voices of reason would have been able to calm the nerves of any blood thirsty mob on campus. I would like to see a situation where Vice Chancellors take it upon themselves to open constant channels of communication with communities that host a large proportion of their students. Measures should also be put in place to regularly gauge the student-host community relationship to nib similar incident in the bud.
But in the midst of this, we should not be lost in the fact that what we read and watched penultimate is not an isolated incident. I have heard stories of six-inch nails being driven into the head of thieves caught in action; I’ve also heard from witnesses how thieves and pick pockets were summarily executed in major cities in Nigeria. So, rather than crucify the entire Aluu community, it cannot be said that extra-judicial executions are the cultural or behavioural preserve of any part of this country. There are still good people in Aluu.
This notwithstanding, the horrible video of the killing in a country with a government and security agencies is a big shame to Nigeria. It is the latest confirmation that human life is of little or no value in the country. It also shows that all those responsible for security and administration of that area did not play the role expected of them. The excuse given by IGP Abubakar that “Attempts made by the police patrol team to take over the suspects were met with stiff opposition from the mob, who chased the team with stones” is both absurd and preposterous and thus cannot hold water. This latest incident is probably the effect of the frequent killings going on in the country. It would appear that people no longer think anything of the taking of life. Life has simply lost its sanctity.
Unfortunately, this is the sad lesson that Nigerians, including the youths, are taking away from the mindless killings going on in the country. This type of barefaced, extra-judicial murder will not happen in any country with a responsible government, and in which lawbreakers are sure to be brought to justice. But, in a country where people know that they can get away with any crime, no matter how serious, dastardly incidents such as these are bound to occur. it is high time that those who wish to see the good of this country and stem the steady slide toward bestiality stand up and be counted.
