Outraged Nigerians launch campaign to identify students’ killers

Posted by admin Headlines, Rivers, State News Monday, October 8th, 2012

Nigerians outraged by the lynching of four University of Port Harcourt undergraduates in Aluu, Rivers State, have launched an online campaign to have the killers identified and punished.

Although it was learnt that the community has been deserted following the arrest of the village head, Alhaji Hassan Walewa, and 13 others by the police, users of social media argued that some of the killers could still be traced.

Already, photographs of some of the suspected killers, have surfaced on the Internet.

The photographs were frozen from the video tape of the killings.

One of the suspects was believed to have poured petrol on the students and lit the fire. For instance, a blog, AmeborTalk.com, has the photographs of two of the suspected killers and a crowd at the scene on its page.

A contributor on Nigeria Online Community wrote. “The guy holding the plank was an especially enthusiastic BEAST and deserves capital punishment.

“The video appeared to have been shot by the woman in purple/jeans. If you know anyone of them on this picture, have them reported to the police.”

Popular blogger, Linda Ikeji, wrote, “If the Rivers State government thinks this is an incident that will eventually die off, then they have another thing coming! They must prosecute and jail the people who committed this dastardly act before we let it rest!

“We the youths of this country demand that the River State Government look into this matter and arrest everyone in that video. Except the government want to tell us that they have given the youths of Aluu power to arrest and kill indiscriminately.

“The Rivers government MUST make a scapegoat of the people who did this so it doesn’t repeat itself. Next time, it could be my brother or your brother, my child or your child! We can’t let this happen again.”

A blogger, identified simply as Kel, warned that the United Nations would be alerted if any attempt was made to sweep the matter under the carpet, adding that “if our government can’t help us then I guess we’ll get help elsewhere.”

It was also being claimed on some blogs that some policemen were allegedly at the scene of the incident and when the mob told them the young men were killers, they gave their ‘go ahead.’

Some bloggers were enraged that contrary to claims in some quarters, neither arms nor “stolen items”were found on the four young men as confirmed by the JTF who brought their bodies to the mortuary.

-Punchwp_posts