Nigeria in stranglehold of mob ‘jungle justice’

By Odunewu Segun

Nigeria in recent times has witnessed an upsurge in the spate of public extrajudicial killing, otherwise referred to as ‘jungle justice’, with Lagos accounting for most of the reported cases.

The upsurge in ritual killings and spate of kidnappings have put everybody on edge, venting their anger on any suspects.

The case of Badoo cult group readily comes to fore here. The notoriety of the group has become a source of worry to the residents of the locals and this has led in no small measure, to the cases of jungle justice within that axis.

The case of a comedian who was said to have gone out with a mechanic friend to tow his broken-down car is still fresh in our memories. He was mistakenly taken for a member of the dreaded cult and was murdered in cold blood.

According to findings by National Daily, At least three acts of jungle justice were recorded across Lagos in the past one week, with angry residents threatening to attack security agents who attempted to stop them.

National Daily on August 8, 2017 reported the case of a suspected kidnapper in Agbado axis of Lagos state that was burnt by people in the vicinity before the police could get to the spot.

ALSO SEE: Police warn Lagos residents to desist from jungle justice

Two days later, armed police officers battled to stop a mob attempting to lynch an alleged kidnapper accused of disguising as a destitute at Ile-Zik, along the same expressway.

Last Friday, August 11, another destitute who appeared to be mentally deranged was set ablaze by a mob on the allegation that he possessed a telephone.

According to Wikipedia, Nigeria and Cameroon are listed as countries where jungle justice is practiced. This means that it is not a generally accepted form of justice. It is only peculiar to Nigeria and Cameroon.

Some may argue that jungle justice is inevitable in this part of the world. They would want to postulate that jungle justice flourishes in the absence of true justice.

It is true that a society that fails to uphold fairness, justness, fair play, fair-mindedness, equity, equitableness, even-handedness – all connoting the various attributes of justice, will definitely give room for lawlessness.

So many innocent lives have been lost in this country as a result of jungle justice. There have been numerous cases of people fabricating incriminating evidence against their perceived enemies just to have them eliminated.

So many people have been lynched on mere allegation of witchcraft or armed robbery without clear evidence to back their claim.

Reacting to the spate, Fatai Owoseni, the Lagos State Police Commissioner warned residents of the state against subjecting suspected criminals to jungle justice.

“It is barbaric and uncivilized. It is a manifestation of the erosion of our moral values and a disregard to sanctity of human lives. It violates the rule of law and dents the image of the State,” he said in a statement.

While a cross section erroneously opined that jungle justice has become inevitable as a result of inability of law enforcement and other relevant agencies to secure their lives and properties, the police, as well as the Church have continually spoken against the taking of lives, insisting that the law should be allowed to take its due process.