“The heart of man is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked” Jer 17:9.
I did not understand or appreciate the meaning of the bible verse above until I watched a particularly disturbing video. A video that would remind anybody that ever attended a boarding school in Nigeria of the act of killing a snake. When you find a snake in your hostel, you stone it or find a big stick to crush its head before it can turn to bite you. Then you burn the dead snake. In this video, the actions of the actors were the same: only that it wasn’t a Nollywood film and the subject to be killed were not snakes but four young boys alleged of stealing? Killing? no one can say for sure.
I wonder what happened to a person being an “accused until proven guilty by the court of law” or the idea of “not taking laws into one’s own hand” I could not but wonder at the intensity of the hatred in the hearts of the young boys’ killers. One would doubt if these people didn’t have a desire to kill before this incidence. They probably walk the night fantasying on the idea of taking a life; a life they cannot create. I fail to understand the brutality of the treatment meted out to these boys. I say beating is what you do with your hands, killing is what makes you carry sticks to crush fellow humans’ skull and dislocate their hips with heavy stones, then set them on fire while they still breathe.
The four boys (Chidiaka, Tekena, Lloyd and Ugonna )were students of University of Port Harcourt, killed for stealing laptops and phones or carrying out cultist activities or killing a villager in a robbery operation or …My point is, nobody is sure of their offence, for all it’s worth, they might have just been coming back from a student night out and simply fell into the wrong hands. This whole charade could have been planned by the community. It won’t be the first time something like that has happened. Yes, the justice system of the country is messed up, but is becoming a criminal to correct a crime a sensible option? If the boys deserved the painful death they got, then their killers have become murderers and they deserve to be killed too; isn’t there a saying that states, “He who lives by the sword, dies by the sword”
Pictures show these boys alive, being killed and burnt. It shows an event that unfolded in the matter of hours, not minutes or seconds and no one in the crowd had any remorse. No one thought of a way to save the boys’ lives. No one thought of calling other students, the University Authority, the law enforcement agencies, churches, mosques or any other body. Maybe someone notified the authorities but they failed to respond, maybe no one did. We have all failed these boys. The community, the authorities, every individual that witnessed the event failed these boys and everyone who refuses to speak out after their death continues to fail them. I’m a writer and I’ll speak with my pen.
I say if I were at the scene, I would have probably been burnt with the boys, for my mouth would have spoken my heart before my brain can think of the danger to it host. I would have said, “Let him who has no sin throw the first stone.” I would have screamed on top of my voice. I would have fought with all I have or maybe I would have pretended to be dumb, in fear for my life. Whatever the case, we can never know, therefore, I say now, shame to those that cringed at the scene without voicing out, May they live with their conscience and the understanding that they could have saved a life but they didn’t. Shame on those that recorded it all, although they have brought to light this injustice, they have also remained silent in the face of imperfection and battle for life. Shame to the Authorities, for not protecting these young boys. Shame to the killers, may they never die, for justice awaits them and the blood of the dead boys is crying like Abel’s blood cried to God for vengeance.
I would say the truth is, many innocent people will be arrested on this issue, many guilty ones will be left untouched, many guilty ones will be arrested but will find a way out but a few guilty and unfortunate not guilty ones will dance to the tune. This is the country we live in and that is the plain truth. I said before and I still maintain, let the guilty not live, for there is blood on their hands and tears on their heads. Let them not die oo, for after death is judgement.
Rest in peace Chidiaka, Tekena, Lloyd and Ugonna
See videos, pictures and Read more about this here. I must warn that these posts contain disturbing and horrific graphics.
WRITE TO LIVE 