Aluu 4: Ten years afta di mob attack and killing wey shock Nigeria

Jane Toku no shed any tear as she try to remember di moment wen she see di remains of her pikin dead body as e dey burn di morning wey dem lynch im and three of im friends 10 years ago.

DI four students bin run enta one local vigilante group dia hand early morning for Aluu, one community wey dey behind di University of Port Harcourt for southern Nigeria oil capital.

Series of robberies bin don happun for di area and for dat time of di morning, pipo become suspicious. Dem accuse dem say dem be petty thieves, dem do mock trial for four of dem - Lloyd Toku, Ugonna Obuzor, Chiadika Biringa and Tekena Elkanah - and dem find dem guilty.

Dem hand down dia punishment immediately: dem strip dem, march dem around di community, give dem brutal beatin, den di mob kan set dem on fire as thousands dey watch and feem am.

"Wen I reach dia, I force my way through di crowd and kneel bifo my son dead body.

Im friend Tekena dey barely breathe, I watch im chest go up and down as im breathe im last breathe," Mrs Toku tok.

Dat kind mob killing no dey uncommon for Nigeria but dis be di first to go viral for social media, e cause widespread outrage, protests and debates about di kontri judicial system, and kwesions about one society wia pipo go resort to dat kind level of violence.

"Pesin dey tire and dey sick to dey come here to lament afta dis wicked acts," one lawmaker bin tok dat time wen dem discuss di incident for di National Assembly.

"E dey important make dem stop 'jungle justice' - e dey bad," radio host Yaw tok, as celebrities condemn di incident.

But despite di shock and anger over di killing of di students, wey pipo now sabi as di Aluu Four and di sentencing of three men including one police officer, for dia roles for di lynching, mob attacks kontinu to dey happun for Nigeria.

Na 391 mob killings don happun for Nigeria since 2019, according to SBM Intelligence, one Lagos-based think-tank, dem say at least five don happun dis year alone.

E bring up di question of why di vex over di killing of di Aluu Four no lead to national decision over lynchings.

"Di failure of di criminal justice system be one very important reason for dis," one Dr Agwanwo Destiny, wey be criminologist for di sociology department of di University of Port Harcourt tok.

E point to instances wia police release criminal suspects wey pipo hand over to dem without investigation and end up to carri out revenge on pipo wey bin give dem up.

"Dat kind incidents dey spoil trust for di judicial system, so wen pipo dey face accuse say dem commit one crime, pipo dey quick pass judgement and vent dia frustrations," Dr Destiny tok.

E be di argument wey activist Annkio Briggs, wey bin lead demonstrations for Port Harcourt to demand justice for di students and dia families, sake of say she "no fit trust di system to do wetin dey right," tell BBC.

Pipo wey get hand for mob killings for Nigeria no too dey chop arrest and prosecution.

Two suspects wey dem arrest for May afta di lynching of one Christian student on allegations of blasphemy for Sokoto still never dey trial, while di police say di main culprits still dey at large.

Na one of four reported cases of mob killing for dat month alone:

Police say di suspects don dey charged for all di cases. But e fit be years bifo any verdict go dey sake of di slow pace of justice for Nigeria.

Two years ago, Nigeria anti-corruption agency, di ICPC, say di judiciary be di most corrupt arm of goment for di kontri. Pipo dey tok say dem dey offer and pay more dan nine billion naira ($21m; £19m) as bribes for di sector.

Dat kind report wey dey show say justice na for sale to di highest bidder weaken trust for di system, Dr Destiny tok.

E never still dey determined wetin di four students bin dey do wen vigilante group for Aluu bin stop dem .

One version say dem be thieves, anoda say dem be members of one violent gang but dem no fit proof none of di allegation for court.

"E no be perfect pikin but e dey humble and e be our confidant.

"E bin dey close to us sake of say we bin get our second child 11 years afta am," Mrs Toku tok about her son.

Di four students, best friends, bin dey dia late teens and early 20s and come from middle-class homes.

Ugonna, 18, and im friend Lloyd, 19 - wey pipo sabi as Tipsy and Big L - be upcoming musicians for Port Harcourt rap scene.

One of dia three unreleased songs Love In di City fit almost be one prophesy of wetin befall dem.

Growing up in the city like PH where Ra was made to sing right

We embrace the street life cos

There's no love in the heart of the city

How can the seeds grow when the garden is weary

It used to be very cool but the oil crude brought violence

"No justification fit dey, no reason why anybody suppose die like dat," dia friend Gloria , wey bin live for di same Hilton hostel for Aluu as both musicians tok.

Aluu dey popular for im private apartments wey students wey no fit find accommodation for di university hostels dey rent.

For dat time, e be one small village wit many undeveloped plots and population wey be mostly farmers.

Today, Port Harcourt metropolis don catch up wit Aluu - Pentecostal churches don build for most of fi lands dia, and more hostels don spring up.

But for di centre of di community remain di two barren plots, di playground wia dem first hold di students and pronounce death on dem, and di pit, some hundred yards away, wia dem march dem go, beat and kill dem..

Despite di nationwide shock wen di incident bin happun, time don allow most of Nigeria to move on.

But for one mama, time na reminder of di loss of her beloved first pikin with bright future ahead of am.

"E bin get bright career for music, e for don go far by now," Mrs Toku tok.