The Killing Of Aluu Four

Since the gruesome killing of the four students of the University of Port Harcourt in Umuokiri in Aluu community of Ikwerre Local Government Area, Rivers Sate, Nigerians have been unanimous in condemning the barbaric act.

The four students identified as Mike Lloyd Toku (year 2 Civil Engineering), Ugonna Kelechi Obuzor (year 2 Geology), Biringa Chiadikobi Lordson (year 2 Theatre Arts), and Tekena Erikena (Certificate student of the Faculty of Education) were brutally killed by a mob, for reasons the courts are expected to determine.

Following the barbaric act, students protested and reportedly burnt houses and destroyed some property in Aluu community. As a result, the University authority was forced to shut the institution and order students to go home to curb further degeneration of the protest.

The Rivers State Government has also taken more proactive steps including, ordering the arrest of the culprits among them, the community leaders. On its part, the Rivers State Police Command said it has  arrested several suspects out of whom, 11 persons, including the Aluu community head, have been arraigned before a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt.

The Tide joins other well meaning Nigerians to condemn the heartless killing of these students. We think that no matter the alleged offence, the slain students’  accusers should have handed over their captives to the police and not to become the accusers, judges and executioners at the same time.

We also abhor, in its entirety, the offensive pictures and video shots of the victims taken during their ordeal before they were brutally murdered. The incident evidently portrayed society in very primitive and wicked light.

Although the failure of security agencies and the nation’s courts to expeditiously deliver justice are often cited as excuse for this kind of lawlessness, this extra-judicial killing of the UNIPORT students cannot be excused for any reason.

 Even so, it is imperative that government should pay attention to the legal system with a view to raising a new orientation and value for life. This becomes even more necessary when taking into consideration the number of onlookers who watched in absolute agreement during the lynching of these students.

The entire scenario speaks volumes of the depth of moral depravity to which many Nigerians have sunk. Their apparent malice for fellow men has become most regrettable. We fear that with such orientation, where, life now appears worthless, no one is safe anywhere. There is no doubt that under such a situation life may become more brutish if not checked urgently.

While we sympathise with the relatives of the dead, we urge Nigerians, particularly students of the University of Port Harcourt and the parents of the deceased to remain calm and give the security agencies time to deal with the matter.

This is why we support the authorities of the University of Port Harcourt for closing the institution in the midst of insistence by the Students Union Government that the killers be fished out within two weeks.

The Tide is reluctant to accept as fact that a police patrol team actually made it to the scene of the murder, but had to flee for fear of the mob and that they failed to call for re-enforcement to maintain law and order is a theory that we find curious.

But if true, this account, unbelievable as it sounds, we now know clearly informed the expression of skepticism by families of the victims, about the possibility of the police, in the state, to do a good job. They have, instead, called on the Police High Command to investigate the incident directly.

While we await the unraveling of the circumstances that led to the alleged failure of the police patrol team to rescue the slain students, we equally call on the security authorities to do everything necessary to unearth the actual killers and all those directly or indirectly linked to the brutal killing at Umuokiri, Aluu, and make the culprits to face the law.

We also urge the Federal Government to carry out wholistic reorganisation of the security system especially with regard to the prevention mechanism of the security agencies in order to position them well to effectively carry out their primary responsibility of protection of lives and property of citizens at anytime and place.