Concerns as jungle justice escalates in Nigeria

According to the Plateau State Police Command, about five persons have been arrested for their various roles in the extrajudicial killing.

When contacted by DAILY POST at the weekend, the Police Public Relations Officer of the command, Alfred Alabo said other suspects were still at large.

Asked what was the update on those arrested and those still on the run, Alabo simply said “if there is any update, we will make it available via our Facebook page”.

False alarms

Reports indicate that several victims of mob violence have later been found to be innocent of the allegations levelled against them.

Earlier this year, a woman was attacked by a mob at the International Market in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital, following a false alarm.

The woman was accused of abducting three children and was subjected to severe assault by the mob. 

However, preliminary investigations later revealed that the children are her neighbours.

In an interview with DAILY POST on Sunday, an Abuja resident, Mrs Alice Oche, who escaped a mob attack in July this year, recounted how she was nearly lynched after being accused of making a fake bank transfer.

She said, “I went to the Bwari market on July 18 and I was busy buying things.

“You know how crowded the market is, especially on market days. Only for someone to tap me on the back and start screaming and making allegations.

“I thought it was a prank. She claimed that I bought something about N31,000 from her and that I made a fake transfer. She was talking and shouting and before you knew what was happening, people started gathering.

“I tried to let this woman know that I was not the one. In fact, I had not gone to that market for a very long time so it was definitely not me. Again, I usually go with cash because not everybody accepts transfers, so that couldn’t have been me.

“While I was explaining, she was dragging me and calling me a thief. The bike people were already gathering so I became very scared. Some of them were already shouting ‘thief thief’.

“At that time, there was nothing I could do anymore. Thank God I just entered the market and I had about N50,000 in my bag. Out of fear I asked her how much the money was and she said N31,000. I had to give her that money and leave the market immediately.

“That was how God saved me. The question is, what if I had used the money I was having in my bag. What if there was nothing on me? Maybe I would have been lynched”.

Slow justice, corruption reason for jungle justice – Analyst

Mr Damion Uko, a public affairs analyst, attributed the ugly trend to systemic corruption, which he said allowed suspects to evade justice after allegedly bribing people in authority.

According to Damion, “nobody chooses jungle justice just because violence is a good thing, no. They do it out of frustration, fear and a belief that the system won’t deliver justice.

“Nigerians have lost confidence in both the security agencies and even the court. 

“Imagine a criminal raped your daughter and then you report the case to the police, the rapist is arrested only for you to see him walking freely in the street the following month.

“I’m sure Nigerians have not forgotten the case of the 13-year-old girl, Ochanya Ogbanje who was allegedly raped by a lecturer and his son in Benue State until she died.

“The two suspects are walking freely in the society as we speak. Do you think Ochanya’s family is happy over it? The system failed them. 

“When next they have a suspect, they will do the justice by themselves. That is what we are facing.

“Ochanya’s alleged rapists were allegedly freed because of one politician behind them. Imagine that! A young girl with a bright future. Her life was cut short and everybody just moved on.

“The matter resurfaced sometime last year, but what happened next? Those using their voice to call for justice may have again been compromised.”

He pointed out that until accountability improved in the country, the pressure to “do it ourselves” would stay high.

What the law allows

On the legal implications of jungle justice, activist lawyer, Nkereuwm Akpan, Esq., said the Nigerian Constitution only permits self-defence where a suspect was armed and posed an immediate threat to the lives of people around him.

According to him, “there is nothing in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), the Criminal Code, the Penal Code or any other Law for the time being in force allowing for jungle justice to be visited on persons apprehended by the public on the allegations of having committed a crime, even where such a person is caught in the act”.

He noted that what the law permitted “is for such suspected felons to be handed over immediately to the relevant law enforcement agencies for further investigation and possible prosecution.

“Now there exist in our laws the provisions relating to self defense when an assailant is armed with dangerous weapons and it is on those occasions that the law permits someone who is attacked to use such reasonable force and available means to defend his or herself.”