Surge In Thuggery, Risk In Society
By Kehinde Ayantunji
The surge in the rate at which young ones embrace thuggery in recent times is becoming alarming, as it poses danger to safety of lives and properties of the teeming populace.
A case study of Osun, investigation revealed that youths of Secondary school age in many rural areas of the state, rather than looking up to responsible mentorship, prefer to look at thugs as role models.
Also, some young school leavers and sometimes those in senior classes boast of their notoriety, believing that it guarantees shortest route to successafter leaving school rather than wanting to pursue decent profession.
This is despite the efforts of the Osun government to instil discipline in school children.
Checks gathered that many of the youths in the category are initiated into cultism right from secondary school, a menace that is yet to be curtailed, as a result of patronage they enjoyed from politicians, hence graduated to be big time thugs and mercenaries for the political class.
Recent findings however revealed that the problem is systemic as the medium discovered that some children within the age range of 7-10 hang around at night around some places in Old Garage, extending to freedom park rail lines and some of them who spoke with the medium disclosed that they sometimes sleep at odd places at night for fear of going back to be disciplined for one offence or the other at home.
Also, a girl who claimed to be seven years old told the medium that she simply sleeps at the park with her younger brother because there is no one to take care of them.
She added that during the day, she begs around for help and use the proceeds to feed the younger one.
An elderly man, Pa Samuel Adelegan told Osun defender that the process of recruiting into thuggery always start from the home when children abscond due to so many factors, calling on all stakeholders to see the importance of raising responsible citizens to the entire community.
He condemned the attitude of politicians in encouraging, harbouring and supportIng thuggery by making money available to them during electioneering period as well as in executing hatchet jobs.
OSUN DEFENDER investigation showed that in major cities in the state such as Osogbo, Ilesa, Ikirun, Ejigbo, Ile-Ife as well as Ede, thuggery activities is well pronounced as social is also well noticed in public schools and among teenagers.
Member of a human right group, CDHR, who pleaded anonymity disclosed that the creation and sponsorship of political thugs under the guise of youth arm by political parties has helped present thuggery as a profession that attracts patronage from the political class, saying virtually all parties are guilty of the act.
According to him, before the proliferation of political thuggery, touts and thugs are not that attractive, as it is seen as an act indulged in by only society misfit, but of recent, it has become a profession all youth compete for because the money some of them make is even beyond what an average graduate could make in ten years.
Also, the type of immunity they enjoy when the long arm of the law caught up with them makes the line of duty even attracting to youths who are prone to violence-related act.
Some of the instances the right activists made reference to include the release of thugs who were perceived to be used for electoral violence and the refusal of police to prosecute known political criminals, while those that are prosecuted are not diligently done.
“The rate at which thugs go about in big cars and building gigantic structures, young ones that are not properly brought up would be attracted and hence begin to destroy their future and that of the community.
Besides, thugs go about bragging their closeness with top politicians and their protection from any crime they might commit in the course of an illegal action for their godfathers, which is the fastest way of limiting the capacity of youths from developing their potentials for the development of the nation”, the activist added.
A retired teacher, Mr Adeoye Olaiya told the medium that the fastest way of destroying societal values is encouraging thuggery and rewarding any dastardly act committed.
He therefore called on all stakeholders, especially parents and religious organisation to look at the issue with the urgency it deserves.
