ional institutions.On a Friday night, May 25, 2024, a 200 level mechanical engineering student, Akor Alex, was accused of stealing a mobile phone, instead of reporting the incident to university authorities, his peers decided to take matters into their own hands.
The university’s management decided to expel two of the five students identified as bullies in the viral video, while two others were exonerated and one received a warning. To say the ongoing issue of bullying has become a serious concern in the country is an understatement. It has become a ticking time bomb owing to both governments’ and the institutions’ failure to enforce policies that protect students’ rights.
Through concerted efforts and cooperation from all stakeholders, it is believed that the education system can regain the trust of students and parents, ensuring a holistic development of future generations. They said the standard practices in schools are to maintain a presence among the students and actively monitor their behaviour. However, in this incident, it is evident that this protocol was not adhered to, as there was no one to monitor the area where the victim was subjected to torture.
An Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychology at Baze University, Abuja, Dr Dennis Uba, explained that individuals who have experienced violence, stress, economic hardship or personal trauma are more prone to engage in mob violence. “These students may not necessarily support the initial cause of the violence but use it as a platform to voice their frustrations.”
“These efforts help raise awareness about the consequences of bullying, encourage empathy, and foster a safer environment. Fatoki added that there is a need for a fear of authority among students and adherence to constitutional rights, particularly the right to life guaranteed by Section 33 of the 1999 Constitution in Nigeria.
“Youths now mostly abuse drugs and parents now at times frown at schools that tend to take disciplinary measures against their child or that report their bad conducts. It is a collective measure in making the society saner. He said: “It is very sad and demoralising that university students, who should be presumed to be knowledgeable and exposed, can engage in jungle justice, let alone take the law into their own hands.Onafuwa emphasised that the Constitution, which serves as the nation’s grundnum, clearly outlines the rights of individuals alleged to have committed crimes. “These laws are sacrosanct to achieve a sane and working society that we all aspire ours to be.