Mmesoma and the Complexity of Group Identity, By Ayodele Adio

Mmesoma Ejikeme

The reality is that people, regardless of their level of education or accomplishments, often rally to their group when they feel threatened, even if it means standing up for those who have done wrong. This is not a justification for crimes, but rather a reflection of the complex dynamics of group identity and the desire to protect it from perceived outside threats.

After a week of contentious dialogue around Mmesoma Ejikeme, a 19-year-old student at Uruagu Nnewi Anglican Girls' Secondary School, who was accused of falsifying her Joint Admissions and Admissions Board results registration (JAMB), an independent report from the Anambra State government found the teenager guilty. The report revealed a significant discrepancy between the results she submitted and the standard JAMB format, confirming her actual score of 249.

The panel recommended that Mmesoma Ejikeme issue a formal and unqualified apology to JAMB, her school and the Anambra State Government. However, the panel's report did little to quell the public debate surrounding this issue, which was first brought to light by Deborah Tolu of The PUNCH newspaper. diary.

Interestingly, since the story gained national attention, many have wondered why scholars and influencers from the Mmesoma ethnic group chose to defend her or justify her actions. Some even accused the group of playing the victim. However, it is important to note that these influencers and intellectuals did not necessarily approve of the act of falsifying exam results. Instead, they were trying to protect their group's identity from public lynching.

The widespread media coverage of the incident, which portrayed a 19-year-old Anambra student as a fraudster, turned an otherwise isolated incident into an ethnic conflict. For many, the problem was less one of a student trying to manipulate the system than one of the perceived criminalization of an entire ethnic group. This led to a defensive stance, creating an "us versus them" scenario where logic and common sense were often overlooked. This group is unlikely to see themselves as victims - they more than likely see themselves as constabularies.

A similar group response can be seen in the case of a gang rape that occurred in New Bedford, Massachusetts, in 1983. Four Portuguese immigrant men gang-raped a twenty-one-year-old Portuguese American woman in Big In. tavern. After their sentencing, New York Times reported that "some in a mostly Portuguese-American crowd of more than 300 people insulted the prosecutor, who is also of Portuguese descent, and applauded the defendants while that they were led down the steps.”

Why did a group of Portuguese immigrants, many of whom were very religious, choose to protect four rapists, despite the gravity of their crimes? As if that were not enough, two orderly protest marches, with 10,000 combined people participating, were organized by the Luso-American community to show solidarity with the rapists. Worse still, the trial was so polarized that in sentencing the convicted rapists, the judge said that "these sentences are not imposed on these individuals because of who they are, but because of the crimes for which they are convicted".

Although the circumstances are different, the responses of the groups are similar, if not identical...