NEWS
IGP Disu Declares War on Jungle Justice, Warns Perpetrators Face Murder Charges
The Inspector-General of Police, Tunde Disu, has issued a stern warning to Nigerians against taking the law into their own hands, declaring that individuals involved in mob attacks and extrajudicial killings will be treated as murder suspects and prosecuted accordingly.
Disu, speaking in a viral video, said the police would no longer tolerate the growing practice of jungle justice, where suspected criminals are assaulted, tortured or killed by members of the public without allowing law enforcement agencies to investigate the allegations.
According to the police chief, mob action cannot be justified as community intervention, particularly when it results in the death of a suspect. He warned that those who participate in such acts could face the full weight of Nigerian criminal law, including the ultimate penalty prescribed for murder.
“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,” Disu stated.
The IGP further widened the scope of his warning, stressing that liability would not be limited to individuals who physically attack or kill suspected criminals. He said people who incite mob attacks, organise them, record and circulate footage of such assaults, or deliberately obstruct police officers from rescuing victims could also face criminal prosecution.
According to him, such individuals could be investigated for conspiracy to commit murder, an offence that could attract a lengthy prison term of up to 14 years.
In a move aimed at strengthening the police response to mob violence, Disu disclosed that he had directed Commissioners of Police across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory to treat every reported case of mob action as a homicide and conduct comprehensive investigations.
He said investigators would deploy available forensic, intelligence and other investigative tools to identify everyone involved, including those who may have played supporting or coordinating roles.
“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.
The directive comes against the backdrop of renewed public concern over extrajudicial killings across the country, with one of the recent cases involving 25-year-old University of Jos graduate Ibrahim Mbaya.
Mbaya was reportedly beaten to death after he was allegedly accused of stealing an iPhone 12, raising fresh questions about the dangers of allowing allegations of criminality to be settled through violence rather than through established legal procedures.
The police have therefore urged members of the public to resist the temptation to punish suspects themselves, stressing that the appropriate response to suspected criminal activity is to immediately alert law enforcement authorities.
The IGP’s warning signals a tougher approach by the Nigeria Police Force towards jungle justice, with perpetrators, organisers, instigators and others who facilitate mob attacks potentially facing serious criminal consequences.
Rather than becoming judge, jury and executioner, the police said citizens must allow suspected offenders to be arrested, investigated and prosecuted through the justice system, where guilt or innocence can be determined according to the law.