Tuesday, August 18, 2026 - The Inspector-General of Police, Tunde Disu, has warned Nigerians against taking the law into their own hands, declaring that anyone who assaults or kills a suspect through mob action, popularly known as jungle justice, will face murder charges.
Speaking in a viral video, the IGP said mob justice can no
longer be excused as community action, stressing that those involved in such
acts risk the death penalty under Nigerian law.
“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 stated.
The police chief also warned that those who incite,
organise, film, circulate videos of mob attacks, or prevent police intervention
could be prosecuted for conspiracy to commit murder, which carries a prison
sentence of up to 14 years.
Disu revealed that he has directed Commissioners of Police
across the 36 states and the FCT to treat every case of mob action as homicide
and conduct full-scale investigations using available forensic and intelligence
tools.
“We are not going to spare anybody who is involved in mob
action. We will do a thorough investigation, and we will take them to court,”
he said.
The inspector’s directive comes amid growing concerns over
extrajudicial killings, including the recent death of 25-year-old University of
Jos graduate Ibrahim Mbaya, who was allegedly beaten to death after being
accused of stealing an iPhone 12.
The Nigeria Police urged citizens to report suspects to law
enforcement agencies instead of resorting to violence.
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