The Lagos State Government on Friday warned that perpetrators of acts of “jungle justice” in the state would be apprehended and brought to justice.
Ade Ipaye, the state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, gave the warning in a statement in Alausa, Ikeja.
Jungle justice is a form of extra-judicial killing, lynching or meting out punishment on suspected criminals without right to fair hearing and legal defence.
Several people had recently been killed through jungle justice, a popular act in some parts of the country.
Ipaye said the barbaric practice of lynching suspected criminals would not be condoned by the authorities irrespective of the offences the suspect might have committed.
He noted that the warning was necessitated by recent media reports that some persons were attacked in the state based on mere allegations of kidnapping, stealing and ritual killings.
He said: “The government totally condemns these attacks as the suspects could easily be wrongly accused.
“Even if they did commit the alleged offences, there is a process for prosecuting and showing evidence in court so that proven criminals can be properly punished according to law.”
Ipaye cited two recent cases of a woman accused of attempting to kidnap three primary school pupils at Abule-Egba in Lagos and another alleged to have kidnapped two children on May 7 at Iyana-Ipaja.
According to him, both suspects were reportedly lynched and set ablaze by angry residents.
Ipaye said that even if the mob was right, instant justice could never be the answer to such crimes in any civilised society.
He advised people to report such cases or hand over the suspect(s) to law enforcement agencies in their areas.
He added: “Kidnapping and other criminal acts are condemnable.
“It is equally unacceptable for citizens to take laws into their own hands by summarily punishing or killing those suspected of any criminal act.
“The mob may well be wrong and the helpless victim(s) may be anyone’s child or relative.”
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