IGP Disu Warns Against Jungle Justice, Orders Prosecution of Mob Killers.

IGP Disu Warns Against Jungle Justice, Orders Prosecution of Mob Killers.

Inspector-General of Police, IGP Tunde Disu, has issued a stern warning against jungle justice and mob action, declaring that anyone who assaults or kills a suspect outside the law will face prosecution for murder.

Disu said the directive was necessary to curb the rising cases of extrajudicial killings across the country, particularly amid the circulation of videos showing alleged mob attacks on social media.

In a viral video address monitored by newsmen, the IGP cited relevant provisions of Nigerian law and directed police commands nationwide to treat every case of mob action as a homicide.

He referenced Sections 319 of the Criminal Code and 221 of the Penal Code, which deal with murder, as well as Section 516 of the Criminal Code, which criminalises conspiracy.

“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 said.

He warned that liability would not be limited to those who physically attack victims, saying individuals who record and circulate footage of mob attacks, mobilise crowds or prevent the police from intervening could also face prosecution.

“Those who video the event and circulate them, those who take pictures and circulate them, and those who mobilise the crowd, or those who block the police from intervening, all of them are liable. They are guilty of conspiracy to commit murder. And the punishment for that is 14 years imprisonment,” he said.

The IGP specifically directed Commissioners of Police across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory to conduct comprehensive investigations into cases of mob action using forensic and intelligence tools available to the Nigeria Police Force.

“I have directed all the Commissioners of Police… to carry out full-scale investigations using all the forensic tools and intelligence tools available to the police. We are not going to spare anybody who is involved in mob action,” Disu said.

He added that suspects would be thoroughly investigated and prosecuted in court, stressing that there would be no exceptions.

The warning comes against the backdrop of the killing of 25-year-old University of Jos graduate Ibrahim Mbaya, popularly known as Ibee, who was allegedly attacked in Jos on July 26 after being accused of stealing an iPhone 12. Police have reportedly arrested suspects in connection with the incident.

Disu urged Nigerians to stop taking the law into their own hands and instead hand suspected criminals over to the appropriate authorities.

He said the police would continue to pursue perpetrators of mob violence, stressing that suspects must be subjected to due process rather than subjected to extrajudicial punishment.

Jungle justice has remained a recurring concern in Nigeria, with human rights advocates and other stakeholders repeatedly calling for stronger enforcement of the law against perpetrators and improved public confidence in the criminal justice system.