Daud Olatunji
The Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, has ordered commissioners of police in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory to treat every case of jungle justice and mob action as homicide.
Disu also vowed that the police would identify, arrest and prosecute everyone found to have participated in mob attacks, including those who plan, incite, mobilise or support such acts.
The IGP gave the directive in a video released by the Nigeria Police Force on Tuesday, warning that no community, vigilante group or association had the legal authority to arrest, try, convict or execute anyone based on suspicion, allegations, rumours or claims circulated on social media.
He said the police would no longer regard mob killings as spontaneous community reactions, but as serious criminal offences requiring full investigation, forensic examination and prosecution.
“Jungle justice is murder. It is not justice. It is a crime, and the Nigeria Police Force will treat it as such.
“Nigeria operates under the rule of law, not mob rule. No citizen, no community, no group has the right to try, sentence or execute another person,” Disu said.
The police chief said the right to life, dignity and fair hearing guaranteed by the 1999 Constitution applied to every Nigerian, including persons suspected of committing crimes.
He specifically cited Sections 33, 34 and 36 of the Constitution, which provide protections relating to life, dignity and fair hearing.
Disu stressed that suspicion or allegations could not be treated as proof of guilt, warning that photographs, videos and social media reports could not replace proper police investigation and judicial proceedings.
He said anyone who unlawfully killed a suspected criminal could face murder charges, while those involved in planning or encouraging mob violence could also be held criminally liable.
“Anybody who plans, incites or encourages the mob by giving them support, even without laying a hand on the victim, is criminally liable,” the IGP said.
He added that people who supported or facilitated mob killings could be investigated and prosecuted for conspiracy, depending on the circumstances.
Uromi killings
Disu cited the March 2025 killing of 16 travellers in Uromi, Edo State, as a stark example of the deadly consequences of mob justice.
He said similar incidents had resulted in the deaths of Nigerians who were wrongly accused of offences ranging from phone theft and criminal activities to blasphemy and alleged ritual practices.
The IGP said such incidents demonstrated the danger of allowing allegations and rumours to replace investigation and due process.
Consequently, he directed commissioners of police nationwide to investigate every mob action as a homicide case.
“I have directed all commissioners of police across the 36 states of Nigeria and the FCT to treat every case of mob action as homicide, and they should investigate it like that.
“Full forensic and intelligence follow-up, no exception. We will identify, listen, arrest and prosecute not just the ringleaders but everybody available, everybody we can identify who took part in it,” Disu said.
He said investigators would use video recordings, eyewitness accounts, community intelligence and forensic evidence to identify suspects and establish their individual roles in mob attacks.
The IGP also warned Nigerians against using social media to facilitate mob violence, saying those who mobilised crowds, circulated material to aid attacks or prevented security personnel from rescuing victims could face criminal consequences where their conduct amounted to an offence.
Police officers not exempt
Disu also warned police officers that they would not be exempt from accountability.
According to him, officers who fail to intervene appropriately when confronted with mob violence could equally face disciplinary or criminal consequences, depending on the circumstances.
The directive comes amid recurring cases of jungle justice across the country, where suspects have been assaulted or killed before the police or courts could establish their guilt or innocence.
The IGP urged Nigerians to report suspected criminals to law enforcement agencies and allow investigators and the courts to determine guilt.
He maintained that the fight against crime could not be used as justification for citizens to take the law into their own hands.
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