After what happened to those boys, i can't help but wonder about our level of hypocrisy
in Nigeria because this is not the first time such an act ( jungle justice) would be perpetrated.
What makes the Aluu killings different from the rest is for one singular reason;there was a video footage
to show for it.
I have never in my life being a fan of jungle justice no matter the level of crime, but i have
observed that ninety percent of Nigerians clamour for it because the justices are always applauded.I laughed when i read people's comments calling on the heads of those people in Aluu that carried out such a heinous crime.What i am expecting to hear from people is a public outcry of no to JUNGLE JUSTICE in its totality,because those Aluu killers are not different from people in the east, north, west, south and middle belts who lynch suspected thieves on a daily basis.I can bet my life that the people calling for their heads have at one point in their lives participated in lynching a suspected criminal( either by being actively involved, or by watching while such an act is being carried out without doing anything).
I was in Makurdi the other day and heard that a boy was burnt to death for stealing a motorcycle.i confronted the tale bearer and outrightly condemned the act, but was quickly told that he deserved what he got.Unfortunately this was not reported probably because it was not video taped. I could go on and on but has this to say, 1.let us not call for the heads of the Aluu community but rather say no to JUNGLE JUSTICE in all ramifications and try as much as possible to avert a future occurence. 2. If we happen to ever witness such a barbaric act being perpetrated, we should try and do something even if the person is not related to us cos u never can tell that person could turn out to be your brother.3.I have come to realise in life that somethings are just meant to happen. if not tell me,why did the students in the crowd did nothing to save one of their own? Might i also add that whoever filmed that scene and uploaded it on U-Tube is a student, and could have used the wasted time he exhausted to save the poor boys, by either calling genuine cops, or mobilising his fellow students to extricate the poor boys from the grip of those murderers.
I have been troubled not only by this killings but by all those i have heard and read about in the past and pray for one thing: may the souls of the Aluu 4 and the souls of others who have been lynched in the past continue to rest in peace. Amen