A horrifying scene recently unfolded in Mushin, Lagos, where an unidentified man was found writhing in agony, his back scalded with hot groundnut oil. He had been dumped in a gutter near the Alakara Police Station. According to witnesses, his crime was the alleged theft of a bottle of groundnut oil from a trader’s stall in a nearby market.

Rather than hand him over to the police, an enraged mob acted as judge, jury, and executioner. The crowd beat the man senseless, stripped him naked, heated the oil he had supposedly stolen, and poured it onto his back in a barbaric form of punishment. The man lay there for two days before authorities finally responded. His suffering was not just a crime—it was a brutal indictment of a society that has normalised violence and abandoned justice.

Jungle Justice: A Deepening Rot in Nigerian Society

Across Nigeria, mob justice has become a shameful trend. Accused robbers, fraudsters, pickpockets, and suspected ritualists are routinely humiliated, beaten, burned, or even lynched by enraged mobs. There is no evidence presented, no court proceedings, and no defence—just instant retribution delivered with alarming cruelty.

Videos of these gruesome acts often flood social media, showing crowds cheering while victims are stoned, flogged, or burned alive. The law becomes irrelevant, and life becomes dispensable. These acts represent a complete erosion of civility, justice, and the moral fabric of the nation.

A Legacy of Violence: From Alakara to Aluu

The tragic case in Mushin echoes a darker, more widely publicised incident—the 2012 murder of the Aluu Four. Four university students in Port Harcourt were falsely accused of theft and lynched in broad daylight by a mob. They were beaten, stripped, and burned to death while a crowd of onlookers watched. It was later revealed that the students were innocent.

Over a decade has passed since that atrocity, yet the same savagery continues. The Aluu Four were not outliers; they were victims of a pervasive culture of mob violence that has since claimed hundreds of lives.

Disturbing Statistics Tell a Bleak Story

According to SBM Intelligence, between 2020 and 2022, at least 391 Nigerians were killed through acts of jungle justice. These are only the documented cases—countless more go unreported, especially in rural areas where law enforcement is either absent or complicit. This epidemic of extrajudicial violence paints a horrifying picture of a nation teetering on the edge of anarchy.

Why Does Jungle Justice Persist?

One cannot discuss the rise of jungle justice without acknowledging the glaring failures of Nigeria’s justice system. The police and judiciary have long suffered from corruption, inefficiency, and a lack of public trust. In many communities, suspects handed over to the police are seen roaming free within days. In some cases, police officers themselves engage in extrajudicial killings, shooting suspects during arrests or while in custody, with no repercussions.

This persistent failure breeds frustration and hopelessness. Many Nigerians feel they have no choice but to take the law into their own hands. They see jungle justice as a form of “people’s justice”—swift, decisive, and effective where institutions have failed.

But this view is dangerously misguided.

Two Wrongs Never Make a Right

The ineptitude of law enforcement does not justify murder. The slowness of the courts does not excuse public executions. Jungle justice is not justice—it is a crime. It perpetuates a cycle of impunity and chaos, encouraging citizens to disregard laws and embrace barbarism.

When communities condone mob violence, they transform the streets into arenas of terror, where any person can be falsely accused and killed without a shred of evidence. Innocent people have died this way. Families have been destroyed. Communities have been scarred.

This cannot be how a civilised society functions.

Urgent Reforms Are Needed—Now

To break this vicious cycle, the Nigerian government must act decisively and immediately. Here’s what must happen:

1. Enforce the Law

All those involved in acts of jungle justice—no matter how minor or severe—must be arrested, prosecuted, and punished. Failure to hold perpetrators accountable sends a dangerous message that mob violence is tolerated.

2. Launch National Awareness Campaigns

Public education must become a priority. The National Orientation Agency (NOA), religious leaders, civil society groups, and traditional rulers should launch widespread campaigns that teach citizens about the right to fair trial, the illegality of jungle justice, and the sanctity of human life. These messages must be spread through radio, TV, schools, religious gatherings, and social media.

3. Reform the Police

The Nigeria Police Force must rebuild public trust. Officers must be trained to uphold human rights, respond swiftly to emergencies, and resist corruption. The era of police brutality and negligence must end. Citizens must see the police as allies—not threats or ineffective actors.

4. Strengthen the Justice System

Nigeria’s judiciary must be equipped to deliver swift and fair trials. Delays in prosecuting suspects fuel the perception that the courts cannot deliver justice. Special courts for minor offences could help expedite cases and reduce frustration within communities.

5. Create Safe Channels for Reporting Crime

People need trusted avenues to report crimes. Community policing, hotlines, and mobile apps can help bridge the gap between citizens and law enforcement. If people feel heard and protected, they are less likely to resort to violence.

A Call to Conscience

What happened in Mushin is not an isolated event—it is a symptom of a larger disease that is eating away at Nigeria’s moral and legal structure. If left unchecked, jungle justice will continue to destroy lives and destabilise communities.

Every Nigerian must reflect on this growing menace. Every bystander who cheers or records mob violence is complicit. Every lawmaker who remains silent is culpable. And every police officer who looks away is part of the problem.

Final Thoughts

Nigeria cannot claim to be a civilised or progressing nation when her streets are theatres of public execution, and her people are ruled by fear, rage, and vengeance. Jungle justice is not a solution—it is a tragedy.

It is time for the government to lead with courage, for institutions to act with integrity, and for communities to rediscover their humanity. No society can thrive when its sense of justice is governed not by laws, but by torches, stones, and boiling oil.

Let the man abandoned in Mushin be a turning point—a wake-up call to rebuild a nation where justice is not burned into someone’s skin but served fairly and humanely in the court of law.