A case of gross misuse
When
the idea of the Internet was conceived, its founding fathers intended
for it to be a medium of communication through which ideas and
information on important researches that would benefit the human race
can be shared effortlessly.
But as with the dynamite invented by Alfred Nobel
(based on intentions similar to his last name), the Internet created on
ideas of friendship and human progress has turned around to become a
weapon of willful human destructiveness and a tool for personal
vendettas.
About a month ago, naked pictures alleged to be
those of the young, talented and popular singer Wande Coal were put up
on the social networking site Twitter where it became a “trend”, a hot
topic, the first for a Nigerian subject. It is unclear whether
blackmail or extortion was involved in this case. In fact, the reasons
behind the showing of these pictures are still couched in mystery.
The representatives of the award-winning artist
first denied that the images were of him and then in the next breath,
referred to them as photo shopped.
While still in the aftermath of the Wande Coal
nude pictures controversy, another exposé hit the Nigerian webosphere.
This time it was the turn of a certain “Otubu” as the girl in the video
called him, a lecturer at the Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma. Unlike
in the Wande Coal affair, this was a clear case of extortion. That most
commentators on the Otubu scandal chose to ignore the criminal offences
committed in the course of shooting the video to focus instead on the
misconduct that led to them, speaks of the high public irritation at
the state of moral decadence on our university campuses.
But it was certainly not altogether out of the
altruistic motive of setting an example for randy lecturers that Judith
and her cohorts shot a humiliating show portraying the downfall of Mr.
P. O. Otubu a lecturer in Engineering at Ambrose Alli University. The
clamour for the lecturer “to sign the cheque” and “still drop
something” rang louder than recriminations at his unscholarly attempt
to exchange pass marks for sex.
To show the extent to which human beings would go
to carry out their revenge, no thought was given by the moviemakers of
the possibility of the screening of the video leading to their arrest
on the grounds of blackmail, extortion, kidnap, false imprisonment,
assault and a host of other crimes.
The carelessness and misplaced sense of moral
justification of these people who foolishly misuse the Internet says a
lot about a general lack of knowledge on the legal implications of
certain acts, the ineptitude of the Nigeria Police Force and the
non-existence of a working judicial system.
Those who celebrate people like Judith and company and the Wande Coal photographer,
should pray one day that they are never placed in a situation where they come under the receiving end of such notoriety.
This does not go to say, however, that Mr.
Otubu if indeed he did try to victimise his
student did not deserve to be exposed. (Video or not, that this is a
case of a victim of sexual harassment who got the better of her
harasser and not that of two lovers in situation of love-gone-sour is
debatable.) Be that as it may, it is most certainly a sign of good
citizenship to expose any form of crime and in the most public way
possible, especially the ones that might have been covered up by the
police. But to commit a crime while doing this just speaks of sheer
stupidity and totally torpedoes whatever noble intentions “the
activist” was inspired by to begin with.
It also encourages further stupidity and the perpetration of crimes in the name of justice.
The latest of these Internet vendetta videos shows
a couple having sex at knifepoint. From the voice screaming at them
from behind the camera, it could be discerned that they were
clandestine lovers caught in the act by the woman’s jealous and rather
murderous partner. As punishment, the unfortunate couple was now being
forced to continue their amorous act in the plain view of a camera, the
whole point being to expose their adultery on the Internet where it
would be viewed and condemned by the whole world. And to keep them in
position(s), the aggrieved partner kept slashing a knife in their
faces, at one point almost cutting the woman, even as he kicked and
spat out expletives at them- and all this while the camera rolled! The
video can be viewed freely on, of all places, Facebook.
Call me whatever but methinks that aggrieved or
not, the partner just provided indisputable evidence in his own
attempted-murder and assault with a deadly weapon.
Now, if only Nigeria were that kind of country.
