CALABAR, Nigeria — Labour Party leader Peter Obi has issued a scathing critique of Nigerian society following viral reports of young children, known locally as “Skolombo boys,” being tied up and beaten with machetes in Cross River State.
In a statement titled “When a Society Turns Against Its Own,” Obi described the images of the brutalised children as a “stark reminder” of a systemic failure to protect the nation’s most vulnerable.
“Victims, Not Criminals”
Obi argued that the children—often labelled “Skolombo boys” and “Lakasara girls”—are not criminals by birth but victims of a collapsed social net. He linked their plight to Nigeria’s staggering 20 million out-of-school children, a figure he called a “national emergency.”
“A society that ties up and beats its children with machetes is one that has lost its moral direction,” Obi stated. “We cannot claim to be building a future while destroying the very foundation of that future.”
The Double Standard of Rehabilitation
The former presidential candidate highlighted a sharp contradiction in Nigeria’s justice system. He questioned how the government can justify the rehabilitation and reintegration of “repentant” terrorists while meting out extreme brutality to abandoned children whose only “crime” is poverty.
A Call for Compassion
Obi urged governments at all levels to shift from a policy of punishment to one of responsibility. His recommendations include:
- Structured Rehabilitation: Moving children off the streets and into safe shelters.
- Educational Access: Providing the tools for these children to build a future in the classroom.
- Social Integration: Protecting and integrating vulnerable youths rather than criminalising them.
The incident in Cross River has reignited a national debate on the treatment of street children, with many echoing Obi’s sentiment that a “New Nigeria” requires protecting the weak.
