Mob killers will face murder charges for jungle justice – Police chief warns

Inspector-General of Police Tunde Disu has issued a stern warning against mob justice, declaring that Nigerians who attack or kill suspects will be treated as criminals themselves.

Disu said anyone involved in the assault or killing of a suspected offender through “jungle justice” could face murder charges, stressing that mob action cannot be justified as community intervention.

Speaking in a viral video, the police chief said:

“Anybody who assaults or summarily executes a suspected criminal in the name of mob action is guilty of murder. And the punishment for murder is death.”

‘We will not spare anybody’

The IGP warned that responsibility could extend beyond those who physically attack a victim.

According to him, people who incite, organise or record mob attacks, circulate footage of such incidents or deliberately prevent police officers from intervening could also face prosecution.

He said such individuals could be charged with conspiracy to commit murder, an offence that carries a prison term of up to 14 years.

Disu has consequently directed Commissioners of Police across Nigeria's 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory to treat reported cases of mob action as homicide and conduct comprehensive investigations.

“We are not going to spare anybody who is involved in mob action. We will do a thorough investigation, and we will take them to court,” he said.

Police move comes amid renewed concern over mob killings

The directive comes against the backdrop of renewed concern over extrajudicial killings in Nigeria, where allegations against suspects have sometimes resulted in violent attacks before the police or courts can determine their guilt.

One recent case that has drawn attention involved 25-year-old University of Jos graduate Ibrahim Mbaya, who was reportedly beaten to death after allegedly being accused of stealing an iPhone 12.

The police have urged members of the public to resist the temptation to punish suspected criminals themselves and instead hand suspects over to law-enforcement authorities.

Disu's position is unequivocal: an accusation is not a conviction, and citizens who turn suspected criminals into victims of mob violence risk becoming criminal defendants themselves.