PHOTOS:- Man set himself on fire to get government attention

It is said that when a man is pushed to the wall, he turns around and fights back. Is there any particular means to fight back? In the past, people spilled their own blood in protest, others embarked on hunger strike to fight an injustice but
there appears to be a growing trend now where humans use themselves as ‘human torch.’

It has happened in Gaza where a teenager set him ablaze over poverty; Mohammed Bouaziz did it in Tunisis – matter of fact, that singular act of martyrdom is what led to the violent protests that swept away president Ben Ali after 23 years in power; an Egyptian also set himself ablaze outside the country’s parliament building; a Tunisisian youth also set himself ablaze in 2011 due to his economic problems… the list is endless and more are adding to that number.

But is that the way out? Will there
ever be a time when this trend will catch up with Nigeria?

This time around, an Albanian man became the second human torch this week in the escalating row over compensation between the government and victims of the Communist regime.

Lirak Bejko, 47, was taken to hospital with severe burns after he set himself on fire in a bid to get the government to speed up payouts to ex-political prisoners.

Television footage broadcast across Albania show Mr Bejko pouring petrol over his body and setting himself on fire before policemen intervene.

Gjergj Ndreca, 53, who set himself on fire Monday, is now in stable condition whilst Mr Bejko’s situation remains critical.

The pair are part of a group of 20 men demanding that the government pay compensation for the torment they endured in communist-era prisons in Albania.

The men have been on hunger strike for 19 days, but had vowed to burn each other in sacrifice for their cause if the government ignored them.

Not until the dramatic images of men engulfed in flames were broadcast across the country did Prime Minister Sali Berisha respond to their cause.