Yesterday, this photo below circulated on social media, calling the attention of people to a seven year old boy who had been set on fire because he stole garri. Expectedly, people reacted with indignation that a seven year old child could be treated in such a manner in this Nigeria. Turns out the story was false.
https://twitter.com/OlisaOsega/status/798787379909664770
Reactions to the falsely peddled story:
You people will be running 🏃 after politicians stealing our billions and you burnt someone for stealing garri or cellphone….
— SEYI (@BALOJIBLO) November 16, 2016
https://twitter.com/ClintonViceB/status/798856526257528832
Plus the onlookers who couldn't stop it, the one who took shots. I CURSE you all. You all allowed him die cos of Garri, a 7 year old #Tears
— X A V I E R (@KanuXVI) November 16, 2016
https://twitter.com/Straipes/status/798849855477063681
"He stole garri"
"He stole a phone"
"He tried to kill somebody"THERE'S NO GOOD REASON TO LYNCH SOMEBODY!!!
Carry the person to d police
— Her Fokken Majesty 🥰👑 (@cremechic11) November 16, 2016
Like I said, Nigeria may be terrible, but no mob will burn a child for stealing garri. These shit blogs should stop peddling falsehood. pic.twitter.com/bbrlSrMpnp
— Chidi Okereke (@Chydee) November 16, 2016
The Police Force has now set the record straight, explaining that it was indeed an adult male who was lynched. Harry Obi, has given perspective to the story of that lynching: It occurred because the community was fed up with the countless murders by phone thieves, and the silence from law enforcement authorities- even after they were informed of the notoriety of that bus stop.
This is not to say that all cases of lynching are a result of a community protecting itself from constant assault by thieves. The Aluu 4 and Madam Bridget’s Agbanime’s murders do not support this proposition. Sometimes, lynching is just human beings believing in their own superiority and deciding to play God.
Please see details below:
Report from Lagos Commissioner of @PoliceNG indicates that NO BOY CHILD WAS MOBBED/BURNT in Badagry or any part of the State as circulated
1— CP Abayomi Shogunle, Ph.D., 𝘧𝘴𝘪 (@YomiShogunle) November 16, 2016
on Social Media.
A yet to be identified ADULT MALE corpse was today recovered at Orile area of Lagos State.
The ADULT MALE corpse has been
2— CP Abayomi Shogunle, Ph.D., 𝘧𝘴𝘪 (@YomiShogunle) November 16, 2016
deposited at the mortuary for autopsy.@PoliceNG investigation ongoing to determine how this ADULT MALE died.
Detail press release later.
3— CP Abayomi Shogunle, Ph.D., 𝘧𝘴𝘪 (@YomiShogunle) November 16, 2016
1. Let me share my own side of this lynching story. From where the alleged thief was burnt, to my house is a trekable.
— Harri | Solana Summit Africa (@Harri_obi) November 16, 2016
Harrison’s story
2. It is a notorious bus-stop for phone thieves i.e Alafia, the bus-stop before Orile, if you're coming from Mile 2.
— Harri | Solana Summit Africa (@Harri_obi) November 16, 2016
3. I lost my blood brother to these thieves in January of this year. He was 20, & was coming back from dance rehearsal.
— Harri | Solana Summit Africa (@Harri_obi) November 16, 2016
4. He was holding his friend's Samsung Tab when the thieves approached him & without warning, stabbed him in the neck.
— Harri | Solana Summit Africa (@Harri_obi) November 16, 2016
5. His friends didn't know what happened cus he was at the back. After he was stabbed, he ran towards his friends…
— Harri | Solana Summit Africa (@Harri_obi) November 16, 2016
6. And cried for them to help him, that he had been stabbed. Immediately after making that statement, he collapsed.
— Harri | Solana Summit Africa (@Harri_obi) November 16, 2016
6. And cried for them to help him, that he had been stabbed. Immediately after making that statement, he collapsed.
— Harri | Solana Summit Africa (@Harri_obi) November 16, 2016
7. My bro. is huge in size, so it was difficult for his friends to lift him. Even when they did, nobody stopped for …
— Harri | Solana Summit Africa (@Harri_obi) November 16, 2016
8. them or offered to take him to a hospital. A good Samaritan bikeman helped and took him to a near by quack hospital.
— Harri | Solana Summit Africa (@Harri_obi) November 16, 2016
8. them or offered to take him to a hospital. A good Samaritan bikeman helped and took him to a near by quack hospital.
— Harri | Solana Summit Africa (@Harri_obi) November 16, 2016
9. The hospital rejected him. It was a lost cause. So his friends abandoned his lifeless body on the road opposite the
— Harri | Solana Summit Africa (@Harri_obi) November 16, 2016
10. hospital. One of them ran 2 my house to call me. I had just come back from d gym, i had only gym pants on, no shirt
— Harri | Solana Summit Africa (@Harri_obi) November 16, 2016
11. I did an intense squat programme that day. Mind you, i never do squats in the gym. I flung my phone and ran out as
— Harri | Solana Summit Africa (@Harri_obi) November 16, 2016
12. fast as my tired legs could carry me, half naked. I didn't even know my mum was following me. I got to the hospital
— Harri | Solana Summit Africa (@Harri_obi) November 16, 2016
13. and saw my brother's lifeless body on the floor with dozens of people staring at him like he just landed on earth.
— Harri | Solana Summit Africa (@Harri_obi) November 16, 2016
14. I fainted, but some folks revived me and put me on a bike with my bro's body. They put my mum on another bike.
— Harri | Solana Summit Africa (@Harri_obi) November 16, 2016
15. Some of our neigbours who had heard my mum screaming also followed us. It was difficult for the bike to balance cus
— Harri | Solana Summit Africa (@Harri_obi) November 16, 2016
16. of my bro's weight. So our neighbours carried him on their hands to another hospital, which also rejected him on
— Harri | Solana Summit Africa (@Harri_obi) November 16, 2016
17. the spot. I heard a medical worker say, eleyi ti ku na, which translates to this one is dead na. I begged for them
— Harri | Solana Summit Africa (@Harri_obi) November 16, 2016
18. to check him at least. They refused and told us to go the General hospital. We took off again inside a keke…
— Harri | Solana Summit Africa (@Harri_obi) November 16, 2016
12. Long story cut short, my family is still recovering from the trauma of that night. Sometimes, my mum waits for us
— Harri | Solana Summit Africa (@Harri_obi) November 16, 2016
13. to go to bed, before draining herself in her tears. It has been months, but go and see my mum now. She looks frail
— Harri | Solana Summit Africa (@Harri_obi) November 16, 2016
14. and has been aging rapidly, thanks to over thinking. When i don't pick my call, she goes into panic mode. She might
— Harri | Solana Summit Africa (@Harri_obi) November 16, 2016
15. never recover. I sent messages to @YomiShogunle and @rrslagos767 and also to @aleeygiwa. @aleeygiwa called back &
— Harri | Solana Summit Africa (@Harri_obi) November 16, 2016
16. we spoke for minutes. I complained about that busstop and that we reported to the near by Police station, but they
— Harri | Solana Summit Africa (@Harri_obi) November 16, 2016
16. we spoke for minutes. I complained about that busstop and that we reported to the near by Police station, but they
— Harri | Solana Summit Africa (@Harri_obi) November 16, 2016
17. refused to do anything. @aleeygiwa promised to visit and check out the notorious spot himself. I've been waiting
— Harri | Solana Summit Africa (@Harri_obi) November 16, 2016
18. since January. Now, read carefully. After the murder of my brother, i have heard that close to a dozen people have
— Harri | Solana Summit Africa (@Harri_obi) November 16, 2016
19. lost their lives to the same phone thieves at Alafia busstop. I happen to know one. A young and newly married man
— Harri | Solana Summit Africa (@Harri_obi) November 16, 2016
12. who had a shop close 2 my street. I have also met people who have escaped these murderers by a whisker. The thieves
— Harri | Solana Summit Africa (@Harri_obi) November 16, 2016
21. in Alafia busstop don't ask for your phone. They stab you and then take it from you. On Saturday, i was preparing
— Harri | Solana Summit Africa (@Harri_obi) November 16, 2016
22. to head out for a soccer match when a friend called. He sounded excited, like he just won a lottery. ''Obi, he said
— Harri | Solana Summit Africa (@Harri_obi) November 16, 2016
24. i told her what my pal just told me. This was what she said '' The spirit of Obinna(my brother) will not rest until
— Harri | Solana Summit Africa (@Harri_obi) November 16, 2016
25. his killers are dead. I didn't heed 2 calls to go to a shrine. I know my son can fight for himself, dead or alive''
— Harri | Solana Summit Africa (@Harri_obi) November 16, 2016
26. See, it is easy to speak up against lynching when you've never been a victim of these fuckers. You don't have
— Harri | Solana Summit Africa (@Harri_obi) November 16, 2016
27. nightmares like my entire family does. You can speak up because you have never ever seen your dad cry like a baby
— Harri | Solana Summit Africa (@Harri_obi) November 16, 2016
28. over the death of his son, or your mum continuously deteriorating as a result of over thinking. Praying day & night
— Harri | Solana Summit Africa (@Harri_obi) November 16, 2016
29. that she doesn't loose another child 2 these murderers. I was defending d thief, thinking it was truly a 7 year old
— Harri | Solana Summit Africa (@Harri_obi) November 16, 2016
30. It just connected, when i saw the tweets from @YomiShogunle confirming it was the same thief that my friend called
— Harri | Solana Summit Africa (@Harri_obi) November 16, 2016
31. about. If i was there, i would have personally bought d fuel used in burning him. The thieves had no plans to stop
— Harri | Solana Summit Africa (@Harri_obi) November 16, 2016
32. Hopefully, when the community starts to take matters into their hands and show these retards that we mean business,
— Harri | Solana Summit Africa (@Harri_obi) November 16, 2016
33. they might stop making families miserable. And oh, these guys once threw a man off that Alafia bridge for refusing
— Harri | Solana Summit Africa (@Harri_obi) November 16, 2016
34. to hand over his phone. I am against lynching by the way. But this particular issue is very personal to me. Thanks
— Harri | Solana Summit Africa (@Harri_obi) November 16, 2016
The evil in this world, sha.
