No Trial, No Verdict, No Mercy: How Mob Justice Turns Accusations Deadly

By AMINA USMAN ABDULRAHMAN

A single accusation can change the atmosphere in a Nigerian community almost instantly.

Someone screams “Thief!” and others gather. Another person points a finger. Soon, suspicion becomes anger, and anger can become violence.

In the chaos that follows, few people may stop to ask a crucial question: Is the allegation true?

That question lies at the heart of Nigeria’s persistent mob-justice problem.

Jungle justice occurs when a crowd takes punishment into its own hands instead of allowing the police and courts to investigate an allegation and determine guilt. The consequences can be irreversible, particularly when an innocent person becomes the target.

From Aluu to Uromi

The 2012 killing of four University of Port Harcourt students remains one of Nigeria’s most notorious examples.

Chiadika Biringa, Ugonna Obuzor, Lloyd Toku and Tekena Elkanah were attacked in Aluu community after being accused of stealing. A mob beat and set them ablaze.

The incident generated widespread outrage and renewed calls for an end to mob justice. Nevertheless, more than a decade later, accusations continue to trigger deadly attacks.

Uromi, Edo State, provided another stark example in March 2025. Sixteen travellers were killed after they were suspected of being kidnappers. The victims were reported to be hunters travelling from Rivers State towards Kano.

According to the Edo State Police Command, a truck carrying 25 travellers was intercepted by vigilante members. Some travellers were reportedly found with locally made guns, after which suspicion that they were kidnappers spread and the mob attack followed. Ten travellers were rescued, while two injured survivors were taken to hospital.

The police later announced 14 arrests, while President Tinubu ordered security agencies to investigate the killings.

The accusation can be enough

The death of Ibrahim Mbaya, known as “Ibee”, shows that the danger has not disappeared.

The 25-year-old was allegedly attacked in Jos on 26th July after being accused of stealing an iPhone 12. He was later taken to hospital, where he was confirmed dead.

Police authorities announced arrests following the incident.

In cases such as this, the central issue goes beyond whether a particular accusation was true. It is whether anyone should have the power to determine guilt and impose punishment without an investigation or trial.

Under Nigeria’s legal system, that power belongs to lawful institutions, not an angry crowd.

IGP declares mob action homicide

In response to the continuing incidents, Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Disu directed police commissioners nationwide to treat mob action as homicide.

Disu said communities, vigilante groups and other associations have no legal authority to arrest, try, convict or execute people based on allegations, rumours or social media content.

The police directive therefore places responsibility on security agencies to respond to mob violence as a serious criminal matter rather than treating it as an informal community dispute.

For security advocate Douglas Ogbankwa, the directive is significant because mob action undermines the rule of law.

He argued that citizens surrender certain liberties to constituted authorities because government is expected to provide protection and lawful mechanisms for resolving grievances.

Security analyst Ahmed Umar similarly said suspected criminal activity should be reported and investigated instead of being punished by a crowd.

Communities have a role

The responsibility, however, does not rest entirely with the police.

Community leader Barau Kawu said residents must avoid acting on rumours or unverified information. Instead, he urged communities to report suspected crimes promptly to security agencies.

That distinction is important. Reporting an alleged crime allows trained authorities to investigate it. Punishing the alleged offender before an investigation turns suspicion into a potentially irreversible act.

Legal practitioner Yusuf Aliyu Yusuf reinforced the point by stressing that an accusation is not proof of guilt. The determination of guilt, he said, belongs to the institutions established by law.

Fear, insecurity & distrust

The scale of Nigeria’s jungle-justice problem remains difficult to establish.

There is no single reliable national figure covering every death or attack. Human rights groups and researchers have documented numerous incidents, but many cases may never be formally reported.

That gap is particularly significant in remote communities where police records, court proceedings and media coverage may be limited.

Meanwhile, widespread insecurity can intensify the problem. Kidnapping, banditry and other violent crimes have left many communities fearful of unfamiliar people and situations.

When fear combines with distrust of law enforcement, allegations can spread rapidly. Some citizens may conclude that immediate punishment is preferable to waiting for formal justice.

Yet that approach carries an obvious danger: the crowd may punish the wrong person.

The price of bypassing due process

Nigeria’s Constitution protects the right to life, while the criminal justice system provides mechanisms for investigating allegations and determining guilt.

Those mechanisms may not always operate as efficiently as citizens expect. However, replacing them with mob punishment creates another danger because a crowd has no reliable process for establishing facts.

A missing phone could have been misplaced. A witness could have identified the wrong person. A misunderstanding could have been mistaken for criminal behaviour.

Once violence begins, none of those possibilities may matter to the crowd.

Consequently, tackling jungle justice requires a combination of law enforcement, public education, accountability and greater confidence in the justice system.

Perpetrators must face investigation and prosecution. At the same time, communities need to understand that stopping a suspected crime is different from punishing a suspect.

The final decision on guilt belongs in the justice system.

On the streets, an accusation can spread in seconds. A life lost to that accusation cannot be restored.