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| Aluu4 |
By Frank Ejeagbasi
“There’s no love in the heart of the city¿How can the seeds grow when the Garden is weary.”
October 5th 2012…
I got home late on that tragic friday night,silently,I thanked God for helping me through the day as I stepped into my room. Unknowing to me,some of my mates now known on the internet circle as The Aluu4 weren’t having as much blessings as myself on this day.
Stressed out from the day’s campus “hustle”,I sat on my bed as I took out my phone from my pocket. In seconds I was on the internet,”3 UNIPORT STUDENT “ROBBERS” BURNT TO DEATH IN PORTHARCOURT” was the topic of discussion that welcomed me to a popular internet forum. I later confirmed it was 4 of them.
As I read through the page,I saw his picture,he was handsome,”clean”,and looked like every other kid from a “good home”,but beside his clean picture was another picture of himself and three other young men,unclad,battered and masked in their own blood,sitting there on the floor,helpless,devastated and visibly lost on the road to their own end.
I read through the robbery allegations. Impulsively, I made ignorant conclusions and RIP was all I could say. Yet a voice, deep inside kept telling me, “these boys could be innocent”.
The next day,I got a link to the Video,the video of a mob “lynching” the four UNIPORT students. At the very first stare, I got aches in my head, the impact of the planks on the head of an already battered human, by another human! At that point I imagined how these boys felt at the verge of a painful and humiliating death.
It was at this same point guilt and rationality hit me hard! I asked myself “shey na because of only laptop and phone this people wan waste these fine boys?”
Rhetorical, but I got an answer… A voice in the video screaming “Die! Die!!”,and yet another one screaming “put fire! Put fire!!”. Then I told myself,”Here comes another case of RiP¿”
¿The match-stick was lit, and one of the most barbaric happenings in this part of the world and in this century,climaxed! Human set human on fire! I could hear one of the boys scream hard for the very last time in his life as flame engulfed their already battered bodies.
Worst of all,these young men were innocent of the allegation which preceded their death.
But even if they were not¿
In this century and age,shall we still live under the depravity of “jungle justice” and mob lynching?
These were four generations set ablaze,they were promising young men.
These were talents set on fire and dreams yet accomplished burned in flames.
These were Nigerian Students murdered by a mob! Majority of these killers never passed through the stress of sitting for JAMB exams. Neither do they know the stress that comes with spending atleast two years in the University… Yet, they “wasted” these boys… And the years they’d spent as undergraduates.
Then I went to Chiadika’s facebook page…it was flooded with the anthem “RIP”.
The question remains, HOW LONG SHALL NIGERIAN STUDENTS SING THE ANTHEM “REST IN PEACE” for fellow comrades?
This happened at the wake of Mubi Killings¿we said RIP.
Grace Adie Ushang fell¿we said RIP.
Cynthia Asokogwu¿we said RIP.
The attack in UNIJOS¿we said RiP.
we said RIP to the ones we lost to Boko Harram at the College of Agriculture attack in Yobe state.
As we remember THE “ALUU4? today¿
Do we still say RIP and just move on like nothing happened.
Do we fold our arms and watch as our land is been fed with the blood of Nigerian students.
Should we take the law into our hands and shed more blood as suggested by anger¿
Is the Nigerian Government and its citizens willing and ready to protect the Nigerian Student.
These questions,though rhetorical,can only be answered if Justice is served to the appropriate quarters and security of lives prioritised.
Nigerian students are the “seeds” of this garden called Nigeria¿
How can these seeds grow when the garden is “weary”.
You can tell,if you envision the picture I paint.
Llyod Michael aka Big L (19) – Civil Engineering – Year 2;
Ugonna Ibuzor – Geology – Year 2 Tekena Elkanah (19) – Computer Science – Year 2;
Chidiaka Biringa – Theatre Arts – Year 2
RIP Ugonna,Chiadika,Tekena,Lloyd.
#Aluu4. #JusticeForAluu4.
In memory of the Four slain
UNIPORT students¿ Second year
remembrance today.
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‘icey Ejeagbasi Frank is a student of the University of Calabar. He is the National President of Students’ Physiological Association of Nigeria, Coordinator of CAMPUSLIFE UNICAL. He has an incurable addiction for writing thought-provoking and mind-blowing articles.
Follow him on twitter @icey_frank
BBMPin: 27093690
