A Lagos-based NGO, the African Youths Initiative on Crime Prevention (AYICRIP), has demanded compensation for the families of the recently murdered students of the Federal Polytechnic Mubi, Adamawa State, and the Aluu 4 – as the lynched students of the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT), Rivers State, have come to be known.

“The recent Mubi and Aluu inhuman attitudes meted out on humanity (the killing of four undergraduates from UNIPORT in Aluu and the killing of over 40 students in Mubi) brings to memory the barbaric and unwholesome human relationship in the primitive era as we find difficult to comprehend why such a barbaric act should still domiciled in the heart of youths. This act we condemn in its entirety and admonish our youths to act as agents of change and development rather than destruction and underdevelopment,” AYICRIP’s Executive Director, Christogonus Chidiebere Ibe, said at a press conference in Lagos.
“While we, in strong terms call on the federal government and the respective state and local governments where this gruesome murder of our dear and promising youths took place to adequately compensate the families of the victims as it is the responsibility of the government to protect not only the lives of her citizens but also their properties,” Ibe added.

AYICRIP warned that “in the event that the government fails to compensate the families of these victims of governmental carelessness as requested by us, we would be left with no other option than to seek redress with legal and civil instruments up to the international level as we will no longer fold our hands and see the future of our dear nation been eroded with levity and impunity.”

The group called on President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan “to re-echo the need for our law enforcement agencies to be assertive, responsive and productive in their approach in fighting crime in its entirety,” saying that “it is high time they rose up to the challenge posed by all these destructions of lives and properties in the country by restoring law and order through practical approaches in preventing crime.”

The AYICRIP leader disclosed that as part of its contributions towards the search for peace in the country, the group had concluded plans to hold a two-day National Youth Symposium on Crime Prevention and Crime Prevention Ambassador Awards a.k.a Abuja 2012. On the theme of the event, “Nigerian Youths and The Road Map to National Security, Peace and Cultural Integration: The Crime Prevention Strategy,” he said: “This topic is deliberately proposed to reflect the indisputable fact that high crime rate is a big challenge in Nigeria today and critically appraising those that perpetuate criminal acts shows that youths form the bulk and among this youths, one will find unemployed graduates but a substantial number of this group are undergraduates from different institutions of learning both secondary and tertiary.”
AYICRIP admonished “governments at all levels to support and embrace crime prevention programmes since prevention is not as expensive as the cure.”

News Express learnt that the forthcoming symposium is designed to bring 500 youths together for the purpose of sensitising them on the dangers and repercussions associated with getting involved in crime as well as inspire and develop their capacity towards becoming change agents in their various communities. “The event,” according to Ibe, “will also afford youths the opportunity to interact and share ideas on crime related issues, their experiences, challenges and also suggest ways to prevent crimes in Nigeria especially among the youths.”

*Photo: The Aluu 4.