Police Warn Nigerians That “Jungle Justice” Is a Crime

The Nigeria Police Force has warned that “jungle justice” is a crime, following a mob attack on a U.S.-based medical doctor who was wrongly accused of kidnapping.

Force Media Officer CSP Aliyu Giwa condemned the incident in a post shared on his X handle, @aleeygiwa, on Thursday.

He urged the public to verify facts before acting and to report suspicious activity to police rather than taking the law into their own hands.

“Jungle justice is not justice; it is a crime,” Giwa said. “Always check the facts before reacting and report to the police before taking any action.”

“An innocent man was almost lynched, and his car was burnt, all because of an assumption,” he added.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the incident took place around the 2nd Powerline Area, Ologuneru, Eleyele-Ido Road, Ibadan, at approximately 2.30 p.m.

Giwa said that a mob, believing the doctor had abducted two young girls who were found in his Lexus 330 SUV, dragged him out of the vehicle and beat him severely. The crowd then set the car on fire.

Investigations later showed that the allegations were false and stemmed from a misunderstanding and assumption.

“Preliminary findings showed that the two girls, aged 15 and 12, were legally under the doctor’s care and were being taken to assist his mother with domestic chores,” Giwa said. “Their guardian confirmed the arrangement to investigators, and the girls also corroborated the doctor’s explanation.”

He noted that tension rose because the girls could not speak the local language, and the doctor could not explain the situation quickly enough before the crowd turned violent.

Giwa said that, without the prompt intervention of officers from the Oyo State Police Command, the doctor would have lost his life because no one had verified the facts. (NAN)

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