Four boys and one match that extinguished their dreams forever : The Aluu 4

What would you do if you were falsely accused of theft and you swore your innocence but no one believed to the point where you were set on fire ?

That’s exactly what happened to four promising students of the university of port harcourt in 2010. It was a crime that shook the entire country because of how gory it was. Four students, Lloyd Toku-Mike, Tekena Friday Elkanah, Ugonna Kelechi Obuzor, and Chidiala Loroson Biringa, all aged between 18-20 met their fates in the most gruesome way on that terrible day.

They had visited the Aluu community hoping to get money back from a debtor when the debtor raised an alarm claiming they were thieves. People around pounced on them and without warning dragged them out ready to dole out justice without a trial.

The boys begged for their lives, screaming their innocence but no one listened. They were lynched and set on fire. All of this was recorded and shared across social media platforms. It was graphic and unsettling for who watched four young boys killed by a blood thirsty mob without a fair trial. People all over the country demanded justice for these young boys whose lives were snuffed out over a lie.

Mob justice or jungle justice is a common practice in parts of the country where people take matters in their hands and sentence offenders to a death by fire for any crime without giving them an opportunity to defend themselves.

The offenders don’t need to commit the crime, they just need to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and have somebody point an accusatory finger at them. It is so prevalent that the death count from this runs into hundreds and most of the time the offenders are not caught because every one around at the time contributed in way some way to the killing.

I think it’s a terrible practice that has no place in a civilized society and everyone has a right to a fair trial before they are pronounced guilty.

What do you think of the aluu 4 and the practice of jungle justice, would love to hear your thoughts.