The Beauty And The Beasts – The Case Of Cynthia Osokogu

When on February 4 2004 the social network “facebook” was launched by Mark Elliot Zuckerberg and his colleagues of the Harvard University to network students within the university that later expanded to become the most popular social networking site, he never expected it to be a platform for crimes. Presently facebook can boast of over 500 million users with 25 billion dollars of worth.

 

Over the years facebook has proved helpful. It has revolutionized the way people interact. People far away can hook up together and share variety of information, businesses are transacted on it, others have found their dream spouses, and it is a means to catch fun to others. In fact, if you want your organization to thrive in this age of global advancement, then the networking site is a platform for progress.

 

Surprisingly, all over the world criminals have found their way in the use of facebook to perpetuate their atrocities that authorities find difficult to police. Scams have been enhanced, cyber stalking, robbery is eased as information about in-and-out of an individual is at forehand , identity theft is on the rampage, harassment has become a common word, and cyber bullying has become a common occurrence among teenagers  and has contributed to the deaths of teen who either commit suicide or were killed by peer(s).

 

Nigeria is not an exception of this menace. The recent brutal killing of a retired Major General’s only twenty-four years daughter Ms. Cynthia Osokogu need be reappraised. It was such a saddened story that would not be forgotten so easily, it would continue to linger on people’s mind, most especially the family of the victim. I painstakingly read various comments from people as regards the issue. While some have said she was a spoilt girl without proper upbringing, others posited that like Cynthia anybody could also fall victim. I think everybody has a right to his or her opinion.

 

When one curiously examine the case, the more it gets interesting. Recently it has been ascertained that more suspects have been arrested over this case, which is good news to hear. Apart from the lessons abound for the teeming youth to learn from, the quick action of the police in ransacking the culprit left everybody agape. One would imagine how efficiency came to play in the police unraveling of the murderers in spite of the belief of the populace that the Nigerian Police is bathed with inefficiency. Some people had asserted that it was because the case was of a retired Major General’s own that was why the efficiency of the police came in place. However, anyhow one may assume, the fact still remains that the police had done a great job and need be encouraged. However this type of operation fight the beasts to the last breathe should be done to all and sundry, regardless of whom the victim maybe.

 

A lot had been said of the lessons in the sad story, nonetheless it needs reappraisal. Firstly, the misuse of networking media by the Nigerian teeming youth calls for concern. Despite the enormous advantages the media has in store, most youths find it an avenue to perpetuate fraud and evil doings. Nowadays with everything going mobile, secondary school students do lot of irrelevances on the media thanks to BB, even in classes they chat and ping. It is a popular axiom that a dog that is untamed by its owner will soon bite him. So, the parents have a role to play in sensitizing and monitoring their children and wards of the pros and cons of social media.

 

The youth also should be aware that not all that glitter is gold. They should be on the alert to suspect any dupe and not fall prey like Cynthia because the person looks gentle, mind you gentleness of the face is not a yardstick to one’s capabilities. And if the case requires that they meet with a stranger, an open venue would be more than appropriate. To be on a safer side, they should inform their family or relatives of their whereabouts, maybe if Cynthia had informed her parents they would have given her a benevolent advice.

 

Furthermore, the effort of the police need be complemented. They should be trained to meet the standard of combating current crimes as they are now in varieties, empowering them with more technologically-inclined instruments. Most importantly the government should also provide more incentives for the police to boost their morale to effectiveness.

 

Tomorrow as the gentle-beauty’s body would be laid to rest, it is everybody’s hope that the murderers and those who assisted them in their injurious act be brought to book. Justice should be allowed to rein over those beasts so that others pursuing similar way of life would know where their waterloo lies. Our prayer is that God give the family of the deceased the fortitude to bear the loss. Indeed to lose one’s only child is a great loss.

 

Written by: Jimoh Ibrahim Olalekan

He is an Electrical and Electronics Engineering Student University of Ilorin, Ilorin Kwara State.

1 COMMENT

  1. my engr. U wrote like a man u are am touched bye ur write up i jst wish d perpetraitor of dis crime wil read dis and beg God for forgiveness . May hr soul rest in peace cyntia beauty God wil give ur pareants d hrt to bear ur dis