The period of the 52nd celebration of Nigerian independence has not been favorable for some students in Nigeria,with the recent attacks in the schools. First, it was the massacre of 46 students in the Federal Polytechnic of Adamawa and two other institutions in the northern part of Nigeria, which took place on the day of independence, 01 October.

Thereafter, on the 5th of October four students accused of theft were lynched at Umuokiri-Aluu in Port Harcourt. One would wonder why the police were not there, apparently, the killers had enough time to carry out the killings. It would have been a different story if the police were on hand.

According to a public affairs analyst, Tony Uranta, it was confirmed that the area where the incident took place was within five different outposts of police and JTF and that in fact, two different patrol teams were around where the boys were killed. Earlier this year,on the 29th of October, there was an attack at the Bayero University in Kano, it was said to have led to the dead of many students and a professor.

Unfortunately, no one has been called for trial for the atrocious crime, except the usual police refrain of “investigation continues.” Until the authorities act decisively to wage war against gangsterism and terrorism, the lamentations of Nigerians may continue to recur. Recently, the University of Port Harcourt was shot down, but is it enough measure to solve the problem?

Afolake Oyinloye