The mindless killing of students in our country in recent times is of great concern. The elimination of the young, the lifeblood of society is heartrending. The crux of this piece is where our fellow Nigerians kept reasoning, compassion and humanness to massacre students at Mubi, Adamawa State and Aluu, Rivers State – have host communities become theatres for bloodbath? This write-up joins millions in Nigeria and beyond in condemning the series of gruesome murder of students, the leaders of tomorrow!
The mindless killing of students in our country in recent times is of great concern. The elimination of the young, the lifeblood of society is heartrending. The crux of this piece is where our fellow Nigerians kept reasoning, compassion and humanness to massacre students at Mubi, Adamawa State and Aluu, Rivers State – have host communities become theatres for bloodbath? This write-up joins millions in Nigeria and beyond in condemning the series of gruesome murder of students, the leaders of tomorrow!
Mubi, a border town (neighboring the Cameroons) in Adamawa state, which has always been known for commercial activities, influx of travellers coming in and going out of the country and academic pursuance due to the presence of three higher institutions (the Federal Polytechnic, the School of Health Technology and Adamawa State University), has recently been on the frontline and ingloriously so.
Omuokiri village in Aluu Clan, Rivers State, is now infamously acclaimed for the dreadful murder of four students of the University of Port Harcourt. It is making the rounds that Aluu village is now a graveyard as residents are running away from the area for fear of being arrested by security agents.
It should be said that host communities are often beneficiaries of the blessings that come with the facilities put in place as a result of any institution situated in an area. Since what is good for the goose is necessarily good for the gander, college communities ipso facto provide for the host, basic social amenities enjoyed by the campus like water and electricity where those are nonexistent. It is expected that the relationship between the two should be everything except cat and dog as the Aluu case has proven.
Media reports have are not agreed about the number (20, 40 or 46) and possibly more cases in the Mubi massacre; however, purportedly related Student’s Union Government elections and insurgency in the north have been blamed for the menace. That they students were called out by name and killed reveals the specificity and barbarity of mean act.
It is conflicting how and why the Aluu four (Lloyd, Ugonna, Chidiaka and Tekena) met their death. Some say five of the students had gone to collect money owed one of them by a local around 12 am (although the video posted on the internet does not reveal a night attack); others claim they were armed robbers (who stole blackberry phones and laptops,); still a few hold that they were cultists; these have all been refuted by their family, friends/school mates. What is worrisome is the fact that no one has come out publicly to say what exactly they stole, where and when. The inhumane treatment of stripping them naked, beating them mercilessly, putting tires round their necks and setting them ablaze is a crime that cries to the heavens for vengeance.
Ogbo Awoke Ogbo, the host for Healthy, Wealthy and Wise (HWW) TV show on Silverbird Television in one of his programmes, had blamed the ugly development in Port Harcourt on the collapse of parenting, education and societal values. The writer dares a commentary on the anchor’s take on the matter at hand:
“Parents and guardians principally manage the home being the basic cell of society. Since no one falls down from the tree, everyone comes from a home or is attached to one. No doubt, societal-ills emerge as a result of the collapse of parenting. This breakdown is occasioned by: parental irresponsibility, early marriage (babies giving birth to babies), divorce, single-parenthood, economic impoverishment, and unemployment to mention a few.
Another culprit is the collapse of the educational system. Our educational system despite many insubstantial attempts to improve is yet to be where it should be. Sound education includes morals and where this is lacking, every kind of evil surfaces. Ogbo, who is a product of the University of Port Harcourt, testified of the glorious days of Uni-Port. Education engages the student in a way that s/he is pre-occupied; knows where to go to and where to avoid, people s/he should associate with and stay away from; in a nutshell, it enables a person to be at the right place, at the right time with the right people and the right attitude. This, I suppose, is what we have departed from!”
If a society is debased, check its value system. Where are our African Traditional Values of respect for life, the extended family system, love and good neighborliness? Blood is life and life is sacred. As kids the sight of blood even if it was that of a slaughtered-chicken, ignited fear in us. Suddenly, we threw our values away. The results became; blood bathing, jungle justice and other anti-life activities.
Host communities must resolve to work hand in hand with college communities. It is expected that holistic collaboration and participation of both college communities and host communities should be paramount. As one from such host communities, one can confidently say that most host communities provide staff (catchment area), accommodation, markets and the enabling environment conducive to learning. Security is upmost and the two communities must ensure this to the latter. Silence is compromise. As such, traditional leaders must not keep silent in the face of these evils.
Security agencies have been working but they can do more, especially calling the perpetrators to book. Some residents of Aluu have claimed that the police have paid deaf ears to their plea concerning armed robbers terrorizing the village leading to the killing of some residents – this is no justification for the extermination of the four. The Houses of Representatives and Senate have unanimously condemned these acts – it is only hoped that rhetoric will wear shoes in this regard!
Students must learn to act wisely and ensure their parents and colleagues know their whereabouts. Being a hard guy does not pay. To say the least, it is foolhardiness. The media should avoid sensationalism and exaggeration in their reports. At least, social media has helped in exposing these crimes. The writer sympathizes with their family and friends, students of the Federal Polytechnic Mubi and Uni-Port, the governments and people(s) of the two States and all Nigerians on the painful exit of these promising young Nigerians - leaders of tomorrow.
Without appropriate taking measures, HOST COMMUNITIES would be abattoirs for the MASSACRE OF STUDENTS. Ours is not a state of nature (Thomas Hobbe’s) but a sovereign nation governed by a president and a constitution. Don’t put your thoughts into motion before you think – don’t take the law into your hands. Remember to see clearly, judge wisely and act tenderly. Calmness creates correct campuses and communities!
Fr. Justine John Dyikuk, a Catholic Priest, freelance writer/poet and Public Affairs Commentator writes from the Catholic Institute of West Africa, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria.
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