By: Abel Japheth Adavize
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| Ugonna Obuzor, Tekena Elkanah, Chiadika Biringa and Lloyd Toku (left to right) were in their late teens and early 20s. |
On that day, four students of the University of Port Harcourt, Lloyd Toku, Ugonna Obuzor, Tekena Elkanah and Chiadika Biringa, lost their lives in one of the most disturbing cases of mob justice in Nigeria.
Fourteen years later, their story remains a reminder of what can happen when accusations replace evidence, anger replaces reason and a crowd takes the law into its own hands.
But for today's Nigerian student, the question should not simply be, "What happened to the Aluu Four?" It should also be, "What have we learned from them?"
What happened at Aluu?
On October 5, 2012, the four students of the University of Port Harcourt were in the Aluu community in Rivers State when they were accused of being thieves.
What followed was a horrific act of mob violence. The four students were surrounded and brutally attacked by a crowd. They were beaten, stripped and eventually burned alive, in an incident that became known as the Aluu Four lynching.
Their deaths shocked Nigerians and drew widespread attention to the dangers of mob justice, the power of unverified accusations and the consequences of allowing anger and crowd mentality to override reason and due process.
Fourteen years later, remembering the Aluu Four should be about more than remembering how they died. It should also be about asking what their deaths can teach the students who are still here.
When an accusation becomes a death sentence
The first lesson is simple: an accusation is not proof of guilt. The four students were accused of stealing, but an accusation should never become a license for violence. There are institutions responsible for investigating crimes and determining guilt. A crowd cannot replace a court, and anger cannot replace evidence.
This lesson remains relevant to Nigerian students.
On campus, students can find themselves involved in disagreements, accusations and misunderstandings. Someone may be accused of stealing a phone, cheating in an examination, defrauding another student or committing another offence.
Sometimes, an accusation can spread across a campus before the person accused even gets the opportunity to explain themselves.
This is why students must learn to pause before reacting.
What actually happened? Who confirmed it? Is there evidence? Has the matter been reported to the appropriate authority? These questions may appear simple, but asking them can prevent a serious injustice.
The danger of following the crowd
The Aluu Four tragedy also teaches an important lesson about the power of the crowd.
People can behave differently when they are surrounded by others. Anger can spread quickly, and individual judgement can disappear when everyone appears to be supporting the same action.
For students, this is a lesson about peer pressure.
You do not become right simply because many people agree with you. You do not become justified because a crowd is angry. And you are not required to participate simply because your friends are participating.
Sometimes, the most important thing a student can do is to step away from the crowd.
If a group is attacking another student, refusing to join them is not cowardice. Calling security, alerting the authorities or trying to prevent further violence can save a life.
When rumours travel faster than the truth
The lesson becomes even more important in today's digital environment.
A rumour can move from one WhatsApp group to another within minutes. A photograph can be posted with a false accusation. A short video can be removed from its original context and presented as something completely different.
By the time the truth emerges, thousands of people may already have seen and believed the false information.
For students, this creates a responsibility to verify before sharing.
Before forwarding a message accusing someone of a crime, ask whether the information has been confirmed.
Before posting someone's photograph and calling that person a thief, fraudster or criminal, consider the consequences if the accusation is false.
Before joining a confrontation because of something seen online, find out what actually happened.
In today's Nigeria, responsible citizenship also means responsible use of social media.
Justice is not revenge
There is a difference between seeking justice and seeking revenge.
Students may become angry when they believe they have been wronged. That anger is understandable. But anger cannot determine guilt, and revenge cannot produce justice.
If a student is suspected of committing a crime, the appropriate response is to report the matter to the relevant authorities and allow it to be investigated.
No matter how convincing an accusation may appear, people deserve the opportunity to be heard and the facts deserve to be established.
Once people begin to accept violence as a legitimate response to accusations, nobody is completely safe.
The person being accused today could be a friend tomorrow.
It could be a coursemate.
It could be a roommate.
It could even be you.
What should Nigerian students remember?
Fourteen years have passed since the Aluu Four were killed, but their story should not become just another event buried in Nigeria's history.
Students should remember Lloyd Toku, Ugonna Obuzor, Tekena Elkanah and Chiadika Biringa as four young people whose lives were cut short.
They should remember that rumours can have consequences.
They should remember that an accusation is not a conviction.
They should remember that a crowd is not a court.
They should remember that anger does not justify violence.
They should remember that sharing unverified information can put another person's life and reputation at risk.
And they should remember that sometimes, standing against the crowd is the right thing to do.
Universities are meant to be places where young people learn to question, investigate, reason and seek knowledge. Those values should not disappear when emotions take over.
The Aluu Four tragedy cannot be undone. Their lives cannot be returned to their families. But the lessons from their deaths can still be carried into the future.
For Nigerian students, October 5 should therefore not only be a day to remember four lives lost.
It should be a day to remember the value of human life, critical thinking, responsible citizenship and the courage to say no when the crowd is heading in the wrong direction.
Dark October should never become a forgotten October.
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| Photo credit: Google |
For those unfamiliar with the incident, the story of the Aluu Four was also adapted into the 2023 Nollywood film Dark October, directed by Toka McBaror and released on Netflix. The film revisits the events surrounding October 5, 2012, and offers another way for young Nigerians to understand the tragedy and reflect on the dangers of mob justice, misinformation and the consequences of allowing a crowd to replace reason and due process.
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Opinion/Commentary