As a kid in the Lagos State of the 1990s, I knew very well that Lagos was incomplete without the occasional shout of “Ole” “Ole”. Once this rent the air, the next thing to be seen would be a man or a boy running (whoever the suspected thief was) and an angry mob would be after him in pursuit. On the faces of the those constituting this mob was inexplicable anger, thirst for blood, and a morbid desire to exact revenge even when its not absolutely clear that the thief is as guilty as charged.


Always, the runner was bound to be caught and while he would be trying to explain himself or make any denial, his clothes would be torn to shreds to reveal his unclothedness and slaps, stones, sticks, and spits from all sources would rain upon him. When he became so tired that fainting or even death became imminent, the angry mob would conjecture matches and petrol from nowhere. The petrol would be hurriedly poured all over him before he lost consciousness and then the lethargic body of this unfortunate victim of jungle justice would receive new vigour and writhe to death. Satisfied, the mob would slowly disintegrate, flaunting expressions like “A thief deserves no mercy” as if to convince themselves of the appropriateness of their actions. Hundreds of young men lost their lives this way.


I had to watch these with a bleeding heart and of course, I kept my thoughts to myself for the fear that anyone who heard my opinions my consider me a collaborator with the thief and give me the same V I P treatment. That was in the 1990s and early 2000.


In Anambra State, 2000-2002, the Governor of the state had the temerity to bring in a security apparatus that secured the citizens by rounding them up once they were remotely accused of stealing, humiliating them, torturing them to numbness, taking them to roundabouts, and executing them like fowls. No trials. No investigations. Once you were fingered, you were fried! Thousands of men lost their lives shamefully this way and no one said anything. Not even the governor who was actually a lawyer. Nigeria seemed to have this acceptance for jungle justice then and doing anything to stop them would have been plainly suicidal.


A month ago, I was in Onitsha. At Emeka Offor Plaza, Main Market, a young beautiful girl was alleged to have stolen a blackberry handset and in a move that would surprise me, the girl was surrounded in minutes. There was no time to admit to, or deny the allegation. The security men at Emeka Offor wasted no time in parading her as a thief. Once again, that fearful, blood thirsty mob gathered. My feet shook in fear as I foresaw what was about to happen.


The mob marched behind her and tore at her clothes while the young woman cried in shame. Many of the people standing at the scene had their mobile phones in their hand, capturing the sordid procedure to minute details. i cried within me but doing anything to stop the crowd would have been plain suicidal. They had this ravenous thirst for blood and there was just no stopping them. The girl was stripped to a point where she spotted only her braziers and her pant. I thought they had humiliated her enough when someone from behind tore her braziers leaving her breasts bare. The girl instinctively cupped her breasts with her hands in a move to cover the,m but that left her waist unprotected and another hand swiftly tore her pants, leaving her totally naked in the market! She was confused as to which part to cover now with her small hands; her private part or her breasts.


All these took place and in as much as most people have the videos on their laptops, mobile phones, and even on the internet, no one raised a grain of dust about it. We all watched and stayed comfortable. The media never reported it. The police never bothered about it. And the government simply turned blind eyes to it.


But now, these four students of the University of Port Harcourt have come and played the role of saviours. The video that captured their torture, humiliation, and gruesome incineration showed us in explicit terms, what it feels like to be in that situation. They have spoken what thousands of souls have faced previously and died without saying. For the first time, the media carried their story far and wide and the whole Nigeria is agog with the news. For the first time; the whole Nigeria is saying with one voice; JUNGLE JUSTICE IS BASHFUL INJUSTICE.

The story has never been peculiar to one part of the country. It has been witnessed in Maiduguri, Anambra, Abia, Ibadan, Imo, Enugu, and almost all nooks and crannies of this country. No one cared, probably because no one even thought it was wrong, but these students have drummed it into us in a most painful manner that there is nothing as barbaric as executing your fellow human being at the raod side for any crime whatsoever!


The suffering and sacrifice made by these students are too heavy to be circumspectly expressed within the purview of any article, but they have made a change and that is what we should remember. They are HEROES! Their gruesome situation has spoken what thousands could not have spoken and their cries have been heard by ears that proved deaf before now.


I have no doubt in my mind that today, when someone is alleged to have committed the crime of stealing or shoplifting, he or she would be handed over to the appropriate authorities. I have no doubt that after all the fracas going on in Port-harcourt today as a result of the sacrifice of this great Nigerians, angry mobs would never raise their filthy hands against any suspect. I have no doubt that today, Nigeria as a country has grasped a more acute definition of justice and all these might never have happened, if these boys were not sacrificed.


I write this article with tears rolling down my cheeks, and my heart writhes in disgust as I remember the unthinkable pains underwent by these Students. But may it be engraved upon the hearts of every one of us that Brindia Chiadika Lordson, Ugonna Kelechi Obuzor, Mike Llyoid Tok and Tekena Erikena are Heroes.
Uniport Students should stop their senseless rioting. The message is clear and Nigeria has heard. The sacrifices of this young heroes will never be forgotten. And cursed be anyone that would ever lay a hand on an innocent Nigerian even after this monumental sacrifice in the name of Jungle Justice.