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PressRoom
Guest
''Kill am! Kill am!! Kill am!!!'' …and he is of a vanished sight.
Just like two lovers in an sex romp, their clothes disappear in split seconds. The crowd multiplies and everyone wants to have a share in the feast picking and throwing pebbles at them, some who couldn’t dine at the table set before them stand and watch while others take videos and pictures of the ceremony.
The chant persists: Kill am! Kill am! Na thief! Carry tyre come! In twinkle of an eye, their bodies are sacrificed like a burnt offering offered to the gods. Their voices cry to the heavens, blood spills, sand submerges and the land is cursed.
This barbaric act is one grave problem our Nation has been grappling with for years and there seems not to be an end to it. I won't be wrong to say: Nigeria is gradually becoming a lawless country where anything goes. People take laws into their hands and they walk away with it freely. Even the law-makers are as well the law breakers, so what is expected from the citizens who are meant to be law abiding?
Presently, Ikorodu area of Lagos State is on serious heat from the notorious Badoo cult gang. Lives are being lost and security agents are slow to swing into action. The issue has been lingering for so long and the residents are said to have called for help but with the continued non-responsiveness, it leaves them with no choice than to take laws into their hands to protect their community. It’s evident that this delayed response is what has brought us to the situation we are in right now.
The recurrence of Jungle Justice has been a debate and the main reason behind it is fast becoming a norm. It is said that the people lack trust in the law enforcement agents who fail to persecute crime offenders. Well, it’s understandable that with the situation of the change era, everyone is vexed that at every slightest provocation that we tend to flame up and want to fight anyone, but it cannot be denied that Jungle Justice is a crime against humanity and should not be thought about.
It’s more frightening that when you walk into a town and something happens you become the prime suspect, before you try to offer explanation, you are held captive and have no route of escape.
Its pertinent to say that Nigerians are as well guilty for justifying this cannibalistic act making it look legal; you will purge when you read comments online by Nigerians, one begins to wonder if the Nation now breed uneducated people who justify such acts.
The recent case of the Nigerian Comedian "Chinedu Paul" who was lynched on the 2nd of July 2017, a large number of the people had negative comments on the report. Such as; “what was he doing outside by that time, he must be stupid to have had stone in his car, he posted IK's event to deceive the public, who knows he may be one of them, the people are only protecting their community". Even those who don’t read reports will have something to say. This is the same way we justify RAPE making it look so beautiful, that is why we are yet to see an end to RAPE in Nigeria.
Nigerians are very good at making noise on social media, fighting on posts and comments. When we get tired we doss off allowing the case die a natural death till another reoccur, we jump up like dogs in the kennel, battle one another again, justify the act and this becomes a cycle. It is more devastating that some people have already taken Jungle Justice as a norm and we call ourselves civilized people who are well educated.
All over the Nation we have had series of lynches and we say jungle justice is no news. The blood of Lordson, Kelechi, Lloyd and Tekena (ALUU 4) still cry out, the voices of children burnt alive still echoes, the families of Isaac, Ifeanyi, Meniru, Paulinus, Anthony and Anthonia (APO 6 Killings) still feel the pains or have we forgotten in a hurry the woman who was lynched in KANO State and similar cases in other part of the country and we say Jungle Justice is nothing?
How many more baptism of blood will we have in our Nation before we can understand that we are not animals? We need to redefine our values as a people, re-examine our minds, judge our conscience and put an end to all these barbaric acts.
As a matter of urgency, it’s time the Nigerian government and security operatives swung into action and ensure Nigeria does not eventually turn out to be the Jungle many people already term it to be. The time is now to act morally and equally tell our children positive stories about Nigeria.
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Modest Diko, is a journalist and author of The Enslaved Virgin Girl and The Philosopher’s Grief. He creates and contributes articles to various Internet sites and blogs. He can be reached on: [email protected]
Just like two lovers in an sex romp, their clothes disappear in split seconds. The crowd multiplies and everyone wants to have a share in the feast picking and throwing pebbles at them, some who couldn’t dine at the table set before them stand and watch while others take videos and pictures of the ceremony.
The chant persists: Kill am! Kill am! Na thief! Carry tyre come! In twinkle of an eye, their bodies are sacrificed like a burnt offering offered to the gods. Their voices cry to the heavens, blood spills, sand submerges and the land is cursed.
This barbaric act is one grave problem our Nation has been grappling with for years and there seems not to be an end to it. I won't be wrong to say: Nigeria is gradually becoming a lawless country where anything goes. People take laws into their hands and they walk away with it freely. Even the law-makers are as well the law breakers, so what is expected from the citizens who are meant to be law abiding?
Presently, Ikorodu area of Lagos State is on serious heat from the notorious Badoo cult gang. Lives are being lost and security agents are slow to swing into action. The issue has been lingering for so long and the residents are said to have called for help but with the continued non-responsiveness, it leaves them with no choice than to take laws into their hands to protect their community. It’s evident that this delayed response is what has brought us to the situation we are in right now.
The recurrence of Jungle Justice has been a debate and the main reason behind it is fast becoming a norm. It is said that the people lack trust in the law enforcement agents who fail to persecute crime offenders. Well, it’s understandable that with the situation of the change era, everyone is vexed that at every slightest provocation that we tend to flame up and want to fight anyone, but it cannot be denied that Jungle Justice is a crime against humanity and should not be thought about.
It’s more frightening that when you walk into a town and something happens you become the prime suspect, before you try to offer explanation, you are held captive and have no route of escape.
Its pertinent to say that Nigerians are as well guilty for justifying this cannibalistic act making it look legal; you will purge when you read comments online by Nigerians, one begins to wonder if the Nation now breed uneducated people who justify such acts.
The recent case of the Nigerian Comedian "Chinedu Paul" who was lynched on the 2nd of July 2017, a large number of the people had negative comments on the report. Such as; “what was he doing outside by that time, he must be stupid to have had stone in his car, he posted IK's event to deceive the public, who knows he may be one of them, the people are only protecting their community". Even those who don’t read reports will have something to say. This is the same way we justify RAPE making it look so beautiful, that is why we are yet to see an end to RAPE in Nigeria.
Nigerians are very good at making noise on social media, fighting on posts and comments. When we get tired we doss off allowing the case die a natural death till another reoccur, we jump up like dogs in the kennel, battle one another again, justify the act and this becomes a cycle. It is more devastating that some people have already taken Jungle Justice as a norm and we call ourselves civilized people who are well educated.
All over the Nation we have had series of lynches and we say jungle justice is no news. The blood of Lordson, Kelechi, Lloyd and Tekena (ALUU 4) still cry out, the voices of children burnt alive still echoes, the families of Isaac, Ifeanyi, Meniru, Paulinus, Anthony and Anthonia (APO 6 Killings) still feel the pains or have we forgotten in a hurry the woman who was lynched in KANO State and similar cases in other part of the country and we say Jungle Justice is nothing?
How many more baptism of blood will we have in our Nation before we can understand that we are not animals? We need to redefine our values as a people, re-examine our minds, judge our conscience and put an end to all these barbaric acts.
As a matter of urgency, it’s time the Nigerian government and security operatives swung into action and ensure Nigeria does not eventually turn out to be the Jungle many people already term it to be. The time is now to act morally and equally tell our children positive stories about Nigeria.
---
Modest Diko, is a journalist and author of The Enslaved Virgin Girl and The Philosopher’s Grief. He creates and contributes articles to various Internet sites and blogs. He can be reached on: [email protected]