Remembering ‘Clifford Orji’

All humans are omnivores but some are more omnivorous than the others. While most humans, to some extent for vegans, eat fish, chicken, meat and plants such as vegetables and fruits, some actually do eat humans! Clifford Orji was an alleged cannibal caught in the then notorious Oshodi Bridge in Lagos. Nobody, except perhaps the Nigerian authorities know where he is now. And just yesterday, in Bradford, UK, Stephen Griffiths, the ‘Crossbow Cannibal’ was sentenced for slicing three sex workers in his room, and eating them cooked and raw. Stephen showed no remorse and even told the prosecutors he had ‘killed many more’ (BBC News 22.12.2010).

The reason for crime of such magnitude is not one, but aside the claim that the human eater was a psychopath, he was a ‘loner’ and someone who has been emotionally detached from family and friends. If Stephens was a loner, so also was one of his victims, a heroine addict and prostitute. Why is that folks are leaving their sons and daughters, cousins and nephews to battle with the challenges of life all alone?

Whatever may be the cause of the ugly incidence of cannibal tendency in Clifford and Stephens, one crucial lesson to learn is that we must care for vulnerable people. Human beings are political and social animals, according to Aristotle, and according to reality. If we must reduce tendency for criminal and evil minds, we must increase our relationship status. Care for those around you and make them feel they are important to you as you are important to them. As for Clifford, hope he has not been let lose and hope he truly was investigated. As for Stephens, it is better for him to be behind bars than to continue to consume more human beings in Bradford.

Watch more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bradford-west-yorkshire-11541168

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By Tunde Oseni

Dr Tunde Oseni bagged a First Class Honours degree in Political Science from Nigeria’s premier University of Ibadan, where he was a MacArthur Foundation scholar at the University of Ghana, Legon in 2005. He did his National Youth Service as a Graduate Assistant at the Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki. He then got a scholarship to study for an MSc at the prestigious University of Oxford, United Kingdom, after which he got another scholarship to do a Doctorate and was simultaneously appointed as a Teaching Assistant at the University of Exeter, UK. Dr Oseni has participated in several international conferences and summer institutes across Africa and Europe and currently teaches Comparative Politics, Public Administration and Leadership Studies at Crawford University, Igbesa, Nigeria. He enjoys reading, meditating, and meeting people.

1 comment

  1. Nice article by my colleague Tunde.
    The African society has always been credited with strong social ties and a communal way of life. Even as we inevitably embrace the western way of life, it is very important for us to nurture and protect the style that has kept us for centuries.
    As the Jomo Kenyata, the First President of Kenya once said “”Europeans assume that, given the right knowledge and ideas, personal relations can be left largely to take care of themselves, and this is perhaps the most fundamental difference in outlook between Africans and Europeans.”
    I believe if we can tighten our social systems, there will be less opportunities for people like Clifford Orji

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