The assault on Bukola Bello

FOR over a week now, a student of the Tai Solarin University of Education (TASUED) Ijebu- Ode, has reportedly been on the run, in a frantic bid to escape from the long arms of the law after allegedly stabbing his girlfriend, Bukola Bello, a fellow student, in multiple places. According to media reports, the pair had been in a toxic relationship for some time. Things however came to a head on October 10 when, at his invitation, Bukola visited him at his apartment in Abapawa, Ijebu-Ode, to resolve an issue. The visit soon  turned awry as Bukola Bello was beaten to a pulp, attacked with a machete, and the boyfriend fled the scene after she collapsed in a heap of blood.

Reports however indicated that she managed to scale the fence of the compound and was rushed to a nearby hospital. She was initially presumed dead but a subsequent update revealed that she didn’t die, and is currently recuperating from her grievous wounds. To say the very least, the pictures of the attack were gory. The victim was virtually mutilated.  It is horrifying that such a heinous and dastardly crime could be committed by students in a casual relationship. The incident is certainly a reflection of the decayed family values and defective socialisation process in the country. The students, one in 400 and the other in 200 level, had obviously been involved in a relationship that was unapproved by their parents and the larger society. It therefore boggles the mind that precious life could have been easily wasted or sacrificed for such an imponderable triviality.

It is worrisome that violence has become a pandemic nowadays, particularly among young adults, some of them in tertiary institutions. And somehow, curiously, they usually make light of the issue, entrapped in the illusion of a free and independent life. Ideally, these young adults are expected to be under supervision by parents or guardians.

Besides, there is a compelling need to restore the eroded family values through concerted efforts by socialisation agencies like churches and mosques and the traditional institutions. These institutions should continue to reinforce the importance of the family as the primary unit of the society and the role which it is expected to play in the regulation of behaviour.

The unfortunate incident in Ijebu-Ode is a reflection of the slide of the society into depravity and we can only hope that the fleeing suspect will be apprehended swiftly and hauled before a court of competent jurisdiction for his just deserts. He is too dangerous to be on the loose.

 

YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM _{NIGERIAN TRIBUNE}

Post COVID-19: Kano based industrialist tasks FG on economy 

A Kano based industrialist, Chief Kalu Ogbonnaya, has advised the Federal Government to take necessary steps to stimulate the nation’s economy to prevent a recession post COVID-19…