Events of the past few weeks have shown that Nigerians place little or no value on human lives as citizens have been killed over allegations bordering on theft of mobile phones, road accidents, etc, especially out of ignorance, poverty or others; PAUL OKAH reports.
It’s saying the obvious to declare that we are in perilous times in Nigeria. It appears that there is a grand conspiracy to decimate the population of Nigeria via killings by bandits on one hand and jungle justice meted out on Nigerians in different parts of the country on the other hand.
More worrisome is the fact that many of the victims are either innocent or victims of circumstance as the blood-thirsty mob involved in jungle justice are said to often be reacting to false alarms.
Also, those involved in jungle justice evidently take laws into their hands as a result of ignorance or impatience as victims are often said to have been involved in petty theft, sometimes even out of hunger, poverty and other factors that could easily have been resolved without loss of lives.
Bauchi man killed for stealing watermelons
On April 7, according to a statement signed by the Police Public Relations Officer, Bauchi state Command, Ahmed Wakil, four people were arrested for torturing a suspected watermelon thief to death, saying the deceased was caught after allegedly stealing seven watermelons valued at N2,000 from a farm.
“An investigation commenced in earnest and preliminary investigation revealed that the victim “Ibrahim Hashimu” trespassed into a summer farm and stole seven pieces of watermelon fruit valued at N2, 000. In the process of taking away the stolen items, the owner of the farm caught him on the spot.
“He then conspired with others and beat him with sticks. As a result, he sustained an internal injury which led to his death. Consequently, all the four suspects were successfully arrested and an investigation is still ongoing to explore all the intricacies surrounding the case,” he said.
Phone thief murdered in Calabar
Similarly, on April 9, a 22-year-old boy was set ablaze by an angry mob for allegedly stealing an Android mobile phone at Atimbo area of Calabar Municipality local government area (LGA) of Cross River state.
An eyewitness, who pleaded anonymity, said the boy, identified as Eyo, was known for petty stealing around the area and have been warned severally to desist from such, saying the deceased committed the offence on Saturday and disappeared into thin air, only to reappear on Sunday.
“I have known Eyo from secondary school, he has always been stealing. There was a time he stole half of the class school fees. Even as we grew into our 20s, Eyo became audacious in stealing and became more notorious. He was always caught stealing. This is not the first time a mob action was carried out on him. He only met his end today. They started by beating him with cutlass before setting him ablaze. Funny enough, it’s just for stealing an android phone,” he said.
However, while noting that it was unlawful for people to take laws into their hands, the Police Command spokesperson in the state, SP Irene Ugbo, decried the act, saying the rightful thing to do was to have reported the suspect to the nearest police station in the area.
“Killing him in the most gruesome manner through mob action is not only barbaric, it is illegal and unacceptable,” she stated.
Cab man murdered in Ondo
Perhaps, the most pathetic case of jungle justice was recorded on Easter Monday as an angry mob stoned a 35-year-old taxi driver, Temitope Olorufemi, to death for killing a motorcyclist and injuring six others in an accident at Ijoka road, Akure, Ondo state; alleging that he was an internet fraudster.
The spokesperson for the state Police Command, SP Olufunmilayo Odunlami-Omisanya, confirmed the incident to newsmen, saying, but for the quick intervention of the police, the parents of the driver would have been killed too.
“There was an accident that led to the death of a motorcyclist and rather than the people around helping, they resorted to jungle justice by killing the young man and setting his car ablaze,” he said.
A mother’s agony
The mother of the jungle justice victim, Mrs. Mojisola Olorunfemi, who addressed journalists in Akure on April 13, lamented that she watched helplessly as her son was lynched.
She said: “Tope was never a Yahoo boy, but a gentle boy. He moved to Lagos after his education, where he got a vehicle and registered as an Uber driver to make ends meet. His father later bought a vehicle for him about three years ago for the Uber driving business.
“He was in Akure with his wife for the Easter celebration and I noticed he had become lean and asked them to stay back for a week before returning to Lagos as they said the stress in Lagos is too much for him.
“All these claims that some fetish objects were found in his car were nothing but tissues of lies. The piggy bank found in his car belongs to the wife and not a small coffin or casket as they claimed. My son has been a hustler since his childhood. He had engaged in many menial jobs like bricklaying and other jobs to make ends meet, before embarking on this Uber business.”
Also speaking, the wife of the deceased, Mosunmola Bosede Olorunfemi, said her husband was not a Yahoo boy, and called on the state government and the state police to investigate the death of her husband.
HURIWA’s demands
Meanwhile, a civil rights advocacy group, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has demanded an efficient legal system to curb cases of jungle justice.
In a statement it issued on April 15, signed by its national coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, it condemned the killing of Temitope, saying with an effective policing and responsive judicial system, the masses will have faith in the system to get justice and turn away from jungle justice by allowing the system to punish offenders.
“There is a paramount need to end jungle justice by building an effective and efficient police force that would be capable of enforcing the law and preventing people from taking the law into their hands. The policing and judicial systems must cease to be cash-and-carry and administer justice in a fair manner, thereby regaining the trust of the people, especially on criminal matters,” he said.
Police’s action
The Ondo state Police Command revealed Monday that it had arrested seven people in connection with the killing of Temitope Olorunfemi, with one of the suspects, Victor Amos, admitting he hit the deceased’s head with a stone.
Parading the suspects at the police headquarters in Akure, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Mrs. Funmilayo Odunlami, confirmed that seven people were arrested, but four of them were paraded before journalists.
She said, “Last week Monday, we had a case of jungle justice in Akure in which a young man, who was driving along Ijoka Road, had an accident and unfortunately killed one commercial motorcyclist and injured six others.
“Unfortunately, those who were at the scene resorted to jungle justice; some of these people have been arrested. Seven people are in custody, but four principal suspects are here. Jungle justice is illegal. It is against the law. It is wrong for anybody to kill anyone, under the guise that the person had killed someone else. We are not through with the arrest of suspects. Some suspects are still at large. After investigation, all suspects involved will be charged with arson and murder.”
One of the suspects, Victor Amos, who spoke during the parade, admitted that he was involved in beating Temitope to death, only to realise later that the deceased was even his friend’s younger brother.
He said, “On getting to the scene of the accident, the deceased had been beaten to a pulp and he had been soaked in his blood. I was moved by the lifeless bodies of those that he crushed and that made me pick up a stone and hit him on the head. I didn’t even know that he was the younger brother of my friend.
“When I gave him some punches, he held on to my leg and to release myself from his grip before he could drag me into the gutter, I tried to choke him on his neck. I indeed saw a small coffin and tortoise inside the car before it was burnt. But I was no longer there when the car was set ablaze. I told the police that I beat and stoned him, but I did not kill him.”