The Nigerian youth is a product of a culture of violence. The culture of violence in Nigeria has transcended our ancestry and it is only natural that we have imbibed parts, if not all of it. In a digital age, where the media and our phones give power to everyone regardless of who they are or how old they are, it was only a matter of time before the Nigerian youths learnt to digitalize that same culture online. Now, the realization that evil somehow takes a front row on the internet has fed the flames of cyberbullying, political wars and ethnic disparities.
Offline, we can see this violent culture in practically everything we engage ourselves in. There’s so much bullying in schools, it almost feels like that is the only thing to do in schools – Eat or Get Eaten. There is also the emotional side of it – including threats of leaking nudes online and blackmail. The one that likely affects us the most is the violence that wears the cape of religion or tradition because it is always defended.
There are cases of people being lynched with their mobs and onlookers justifying the acts with religion or tradition. If the victims are being accused of blasphemy or robbery, there is always a justifiable route towards jungle justice. A certain case happened in 2016 with one Bridget Agbahime in Kano State which became viral online. The suspects claimed she blasphemed against Islam, tortured and decapitated her. They played football with her severed head and had it recorded, threatening to do more if another person tried the same. Bridget was not the first. There were many before her and there have been more after her. Every time it happens, we see youths with sexist opinions about how women who refuse to shut up get what they deserve.
In 2017, a senior citizen, Mrs Mariah Okoh was banished from Afikpo community, paraded on the streets of Ebonyi state by able-bodied youths, recorded and uploaded online. Her crime? Having consensual sex with a grown man. Their aim? To humiliate her and teach other females a thing or two about morality. When women commit adultery, they are stripped naked, flogged and recorded. It is always circulated online to teach the victims a lesson.
Everyone remembers the Aluu Boys in 2012, beaten, burnt and recorded for all to see; the community does that to people accused of robbery. Whether or not you are wrong, you are most likely going to die. And Henry Joseph in 2017, who died from health complications months after being tortured in Ibadan for being gay? I remember. Most people saw the act when the news went viral, barely a good number saw the killing of a soul. Murder is illegal and wrong on all counts.
The violence among youths poses so much threat now because it is no longer just acts of violence, it is now a religion in religions and a tradition in traditions.
Most people go blind when bad things happen under the guise of religion and tradition. Nigerian youths need complete reorientation, which cannot be achieved overnight. When the media consistently plays a part by banning all forms of physical abuse and display of corpses on our TV screens; when there are stiffer penalties against all forms of cyberbullying and laws put in place to protect the vulnerable minority; when the Nigerian youth take it upon themselves to educate their peers on the dangers of violence of any form, only then will there be a change in the status quo in Nigeria.
About the Writer
This writer has chosen to stay anonymous.