Growing up in Ghana, I was told about instances where people are burnt to death for stealing, killing, or accidentally hitting someone with a vehicle. I have read some articles online recently which confirm that, sadly, the system of mob justice still continues in modern day Ghana.
I also recently watched a movie directed by Koby Rina titled “2bad” in which a mob descended on a repented armed robber years after he quit crime. The mob hunted and killed him for their version of justice on his way to an all-night service in church.
A few days ago, I read and watched a video clip on a Nigerian website where four university students were severely beaten and burnt with tires to death for stealing mobile phones and laptops.
When we were in slavery, we cried, fought and pleaded for justice and equality. Is there any justice in this? I don’t think so! I do understand that it is very frustrating to work hard and buy something only to have another person come steal it, but that still doesn’t justify this type of barbaric punishment.
As a passenger on a VIP bus, I witnessed an accident on the Accra-Kumasi road last year when I was in Ghana for a visit. A taxi driver had accidentally hit a little boy, and from all indication things didn’t look good for the little boy. I watched as the driver sped away instead of stopping to assist the victim. The driver of the VIP bus followed the taxi driver only to see him report himself to the police.
Out of curiosity, I asked why he did that. In my opinion, the boy had a better chance of survival had the driver stopped to take him to the hospital, rather than having to report to the police station first.
To my surprise, almost all the passengers on the bus said he was a smart driver for doing that because if he had stopped, the town people would have definitely killed him.