A sad report emerging from Lagos State had it that no fewer than 10 students of Ojodu Grammar School were crushed to death by a truck on Ogunnusi Road, Grammar School Bus-Stop, Lagos State. The incident which occurred about 2. pm on Tuesday claimed the lives of some students who were standing beside the road while trying to cross to the other side of the road. It was alleged that the truck driver was being chased by officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps when he lost control of the vehicle and rammed into the pupils, who were by the roadside, though FRSC has come out to debunk such claims....CONTINUE READING THE FULL ARTICLE>>>
However, the subsequent mob action that took place after the incident has some lessons to teach on why Nigerians should resist involving in mob action.
Why should Nigerians resist mob actions as a lesson learned from the incident?
1. It could lead to riot, and subsequent loss of lives and destruction of property.
Firstly, it is wrong for law-abiding citizens to take laws into their hands. The matter should have immediately been left for police officers that were deployed to the scene to professionally handle the case to avoid the ugly destruction of property that occurred later on. It is not out of place to state that the mob action could have escalated into a riot if the police officers that were deployed to the scene did not professionally calm the situation.
Who knows what could have been the story if the police officers did not intervene. For example, a July 2020 report by Punch Newspapers revealed the riot that occurred in Lagos state after motorcycle riders lynched a motorist who mistakenly hit a partially-sighted man around Ikorodu Garage. The death of the motorist and the subsequent riot could have been avoided if the mob action was resisted. Categorically, mob actions can lead to further casualties and even most times, innocent persons become victims of such ugly situations.
Also, hoodlums and miscreants take advantage of such situations to unleash mayhem and destroy property. Hence, mob action should be discouraged.
2. It could slow down or even hinder emergency medical response and attention to victims
Also, there could have been some of the crushed students who may have still been alive after the accident but due to the unfavorable environment caused by the mob action which may have delayed emergency medical response and attention, they may have thus passed away. Therefore, resisting mob actions could help save the lives of the victims when a fatal incident occurs. The emergency response team and medical response team would be scared to go to an area that is heated up due to mob action which could turn into a riot and lead to loss of lives.
In conclusion, when such ugly incidents occur, Nigerians should resist carrying out mob action rather, they should allow the police to dutifully carry out its responsibilities and thus prosecute those that are found wanting.