The Nigeria Police Force says jungle justice is a crime, following Monday’s mob attack on a US-based medical doctor who was falsely suspected of kidnapping.
The Force Media Officer, CSP Aliyu Giwa, condemned the act in a post shared on his X handle, @aleeygiwa, on Thursday.
He urged members of the public to always verify facts and report any suspicious activity to the police rather than taking the law into their own hands.
“Jungle justice is not justice; it is a crime.
“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 burned, all because of an assumption,” he said.
The incident occurred around the 2nd Powerline Area, Ologuneru, Eleyele-Ido Road, Ibadan, at about 2.30 p.m.
Giwa said an angry mob, suspecting the doctor had abducted two young girls who were found in his Lexus 330 SUV, dragged him out of the car and beat him severely.
The mob, he said, went on to set the vehicle ablaze.
According to him, investigations later revealed that the allegations were false and based entirely on misunderstanding and assumption.
“Preliminary findings showed that the two girls, aged 15 and 12, were legally under the care of the doctor and were being taken to assist his mother with domestic chores.
“Their guardian confirmed the arrangement to investigators, while the girls also corroborated the doctor’s explanation,” he said.
He noted that tension escalated because the girls could not communicate in the local language, and the doctor was unable to explain the situation quickly enough before the crowd turned violent.
He said that, but for the prompt intervention of officers of the Oyo State Police Command, the doctor would have lost his life because no one bothered to verify the facts.
