News
Jungle justice, threat to security, safety in Nigeria – Stakeholders
Stakeholders have expressed worry over the spate of mob killings, saying it posed threats to national security.
Stakeholders, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in separate interviews on Sunday in Lagos, described the increasing act as “disturbing.”
Mob justice or jungle justice is the act of individuals taking the law into their own hands by meting out punishment to alleged offenders without due process.
It is mostly targeted at those accused of theft, where the alleged criminal is publicly humiliated, tortured, stoned, beaten or lynched.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that in the past six weeks, the country has recorded several cases of mob killings.
On Oct. 1, a man identified as Monday, was beaten to death in Lagos state over alleged cable theft; the mob used copper wire to tie his neck, strangling him to death.
Also, on Oct. 13, in the Agenebode area of Edo, a mob attacked a police station, burnt to death some suspects accused of terrorising the community, set ablaze the police barracks, patrol vans and the Divisional Police Station.
A mob killed a suspect on Oct. 14, for allegedly stealing a motorcycle at Dei-Dei in Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Also, on Nov. 2, a man, Sefilahi Danlami, 19, was lynched over alleged theft at the Panteka Market in the Mpape area of the FCT.
On Oct. 18 in the Issele-Uku area of Delta, a mob hijacked two suspected motorcycle thieves from the custody of police and lynched them; same day in Sagamu area of Ogun, a mob killed a man, John Udoh, 22, for allegedly stealing a motorcycle.
An Assistant Superintendent of Police, ASP Augustine Osupayi, 46, was killed on Oct. 19 by a mob in the Agege area of Lagos State, while trying to rescue a driver accused of hitting a motorcyclist.
The mob, unhappy with his intervention, lynched him.
Also, on Nov. 6, a suspected thief was mobbed to death after allegedly attempting to steal from a church at the Modern Market in Makurdi, Benue.
Similarly, on Nov. 9, a suspected burglar was macheted to death by a mob while attempting to commit a crime at Olu-Obasanjo Road in Port Harcourt.
A security expert, Mr Olaniyi Daniel, owner of Premier Guard Security Ltd, affirmed that mob justice posed grave risks to individuals and society.
“The killing of a person for a crime without due process is barbaric and should be condemned.
“If you lynch a person for stealing a phone or motorcycle, you are not innocent. You have committed murder which is even worse than stealing.
“This inhumane trend makes people to think that Nigeria is a lawless country, ” he said.
According to him, some Nigerians especially the unemployed are angry and frustrated, and at any slightest provocation, they can vent their anger on their fellow citizens.
He called on the government and law enforcement agencies to urgently check the growing trend.
“The National Orientation Agency (NOA) and other agencies should embark on sensitisation that will inform the public about the consequences of their actions.
“Government at all levels should look into the issue of employment, so as to take jobless youths off the streets and to implement the criminal justice system.
“Police and judiciary need to do more to tackle the menace by putting in place an effective punishment to ensure that culprits were prosecuted which would serve as a deterrent, ” he said.
In the same vein, a Legal Practitioner, Mr Emmanuel Ajayi, said that there was need to place priority on human life.
“The Nigerians constitution provides for the right to life, and it is declared that nobody’s life should be taken.
“Section 315 of the Criminal Code Act says that any person who unlawfully kills another is guilty of an offence called murder, ” he said.
He blamed illiteracy, unemployment, poverty, religion, lack of confidence in the police and judicial system, among others, for the rise.
“People lynched because they think that when suspects are handed over to the police or taken to court, they may buy their freedom and return to society to continue their atrocities.
“But there is no justification for mob action, no amount of loss of trust in the police or judiciary should make people to take the law into their hands.
“Due process must be followed before somebody can be pronounced guilty, this is necessary because a lot of innocent people have lost their lives to jungle justice, ” he said.
Ajayi urged the government to wake up to its responsibility of protecting lives and property.
He said government should also reform the police, judiciary and create employment.
The Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, decried the rising incidents of mob justice.
He cautioned Nigerians against its consequences on criminal justice administration, rule of law and global reputation.
Adejobi, in a statement on Oct. 20 in Abuja, condemned the country’s jungle justice trend, describing it as “a deplorable and savage behaviour.”
The FPRO said the act had led to the tragic loss of lives and destruction of property across the country.
He said that the inhuman act was a betrayal of justice and due process, undermining the rule of law, fundamental principles and ideals of human rights and justice. (NAN)
News
Borno Commemorates 11 Years Since Chibok Girls’ Abduction, Donates N10 Million to Their Families
By Nathaniel Irobi
In a poignant ceremony held on Tuesday, the Borno state government marked the 11th anniversary of the abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls, who were taken by terrorists in 2014. During the event, Governor Babagana Zulum, represented by Zuwaira Gambo, the state commissioner for women affairs and social development, announced a donation of N10 million along with food supplies to support the families of the 276 abducted girls.
Governor Zulum emphasized that this donation is part of the ongoing commitment by the Borno state government to alleviate the hardships faced by the affected families. “This is not the first time the Borno state government has extended its support. From the beginning, successive administrations have assisted Chibok,” he stated, reaffirming that under his leadership, this dedication has only intensified. “We will continue our efforts until every missing girl is safely returned.”
As of now, 18 of the 189 girls who have been rescued are receiving care from the state government. Zulum shared that these girls are undergoing psychosocial support, vocational training, and academic tutorials to help them prepare for their senior school certificate examinations as part of a comprehensive rehabilitation and reintegration program.
The government’s ongoing support for the Chibok community was praised by Mustapha Modu, chairman of Chibok Local Government Area; Pogu Lawan, a member of the state house of assembly; and Hauwa Mai Musa, the governor’s senior special adviser on women affairs.
Furthermore, a report from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in April 2023 indicated that approximately 93 schoolgirls remain in captivity. Although the federal government has pledged to ensure the rescue of the remaining girls, many of the students continue to be unaccounted for a decade after their abduction.
A Kano State High Court, on Tuesday, reserved ruling in the case of alleged bribery and misappropriation filed against the former governor of Kano State, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, and seven others.
The Kano State Government instituted an eight-count charge bordering on bribery, misappropriation and diversion of public funds running into billions of Naira against Ganduje and seven others, including his wife, Hafsat Umar.
Others charged with Ganduje are Abubakar Bawuro, Umar Abdullahi Umar, Jibrilla Muhammad, Lamash Properties Limited, Safari Textiles Limited and Lasage General Enterprises Limited.
When the case came up for hearing of all pending applications, counsel to Ganduje and his wife, Offiong Offiong SAN, applied for an extension of time and urged the court to grant the application.
“We also filed our preliminary objection challenging the jurisdiction of the court, dated Nov. 18, 2024, along with a 28-paragraph affidavit and a written address in support.
“We also filed a reply on point of law dated April 4, 2025,” he said.
However, counsel to the state, Mr Ayodeji Adedipe, SAN, filed a reply to the notice of preliminary objection dated Oct. 22, 2024, addressing all the respondents.
“The application is attached with a seven-paragraph counter affidavit and a written address dated Dec. 13, 2024, attached along with several documents as exhibits,” Adedipe said.
He prayed the court to dismiss the respondents’ applications for lacking merit.
Counsel to the 3rd and 7th defendants, Mr Adekunle Taiye-Falola, filed a motion on notice on a preliminary objection dated Oct. 18, 2024, supported by a 14-paragraph affidavit and a written address.
“In reply to the complainant’s counter affidavit, we filed our further and better affidavit dated Dec. 12, 2024, and a reply on point of law. We urge the court to grant the application as prayed,” Taiye-Falola said.
Counsel to the 5th defendant, Mr Sunusi Musa, SAN, also filed a motion on notice on a preliminary objection dated Oct. 18, 2024, which was supported by an affidavit, an exhibit and a written address.
“We also filed our affidavit and reply on point of law and urged the court to grant the application with substantial costs against the complainant,” he said.
Counsel to the 6th respondent, Mr Ashafa Yusuf , also filed a notice of preliminary objection dated Sept. 9, 2024, supported by a nine-paragraph affidavit and a written address.
“My Lord, we filed a further and better affidavit dated Feb. 17, supported by an 11-paragraph affidavit. We also filed a reply on point of law and urged the court to grant the application,” he said.
Also, Faruk Asekone, counsel to the 8th defendant, filed a notice of preliminary objection dated Oct. 18, 2024, supported by a five-paragraph affidavit and a written address.
“In reply to the complainant’s counter-affidavit, we filed our further and better affidavit and reply on point of law dated Feb. 13, 2025, and urge the court to grant the application,” Asdkome said.
The judge, Justice Amina Adamu-Aliyu, granted the application for an extension of time.
Adamu-Aliyu adjourned the matter for ruling on the notices of preliminary objection to a date that would be communicated to the parties at a later date. (NAN)
A former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has slammed the President Bola Tinubu-led Federal Government, describing it as the most “corrupt and worst” government in Nigerian history.
El-Rufai, who spoke in an interview with some journalists in Katsina Monday night, said Tinubu’s government is also the most intolerant government since the return of democratic rule in 1999.
He claimed that the Federal Government of President Tinubu is the most lying government that depends on false propaganda, especially on security challenges bedevilling the country.
The erstwhile Kaduna governor, who was in Katsina to condole with Governor Dikko Umaru Radda over the demise of his mother, also refuted the claim by the Federal Government that security has improved in the country.
He added that the insecurity in the country is due to the Federal Government’s failure to proffer deeper solutions to address what he termed the prevailing security challenges from their roots.
He stressed that many local government areas in Katsina, Zamfara and Sokoto States were under the control of bandits, adding that bandits and terrorists’ leaders like Dogo Gide, Mallam Abba and Bello Turji have not been killed.
El-rufia said: “I have said it before, this is the worst Federal Government in Nigerian history and all the indices have shown it. This is the most corrupt and most intolerant government in Nigeria.
“This is the most lying government that depends on false propaganda. They lied that security has improved in Nigeria. They read out numbers of bandits killed except the ones we know are the leading bandits.
“In Kaduna, Dogo Gide is still around, Mallam Abba, the Boko Haram terrorist is still alive. Bello Turji is still around but everyday, they announce names of people that are bandits’ leaders that they have killed and security has improved.
“How many local governments are under the occupation of bandits in Katsina State? How many are occupied by bandits in Zamfara State and some parts of Sokoto State? And because you are in government you think that nothing would happen?”
The former FCT Minister, however, described his new political party, the Social Democratic Party (SDP), as a party with a long history and credibility that will wrest power from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027.