In compliance with the directive of the Inspector General of Police, Olatunji Rilwan Disu, the Rivers State Police command, has warned residents against taking the law into their hands.
The state Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Adepoju, urged residents to hand over arrested suspects to the police, declaring a crackdown on jungle justice and mob action.
Adepoju warned that perpetrators will be arrested and prosecuted.
Addressing members of the press at the Police headquarters on Moscow Road, Port Harcourt, Adepoju said the command would not tolerate mob action or jungle justice in any form.
He condemned the practice of subjecting suspected thieves and other alleged criminals to degrading treatment, including torture, stripping, forcing suspects to dance, recording them on video and circulating such footage on social media.
Adepoju stressed that every suspect is presumed innocent until proven guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction, adding that guilt could not be established through mob action or jungle justice.
The police commissioner warned that anyone caught participating in mob action or jungle justice would be arrested and prosecuted in accordance with the law.
He also expressed concern over the failure of some victims of “one-chance” robbery to report such incidents to the police, noting that some victims resorted to posting about their experiences on social media instead.
The CP urged victims of “one-chance” robbery to report such cases to the police to enable thorough investigations, the arrest of perpetrators and the prevention of future occurrences.
He noted that some citizens had recently developed the habit of torturing suspected thieves.
Disu had directed commissioners of police across the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory to treat cases of jungle justice as homicide and ensure the arrest and prosecution of perpetrators of mob action.
IGP gave the directive while speaking on a live television programme on African Independent Television on Wednesday, August 12, 2026.
He said mob action and jungle justice violated victims’ rights to life, dignity and fair hearing, stressing that such acts had no place in a country governed by the rule of law.
The IGP described jungle justice as murder, insisting that it was not justice but a criminal act that violated the fundamental rights of victims.
How words: “Let me state clearly, without ambiguity: jungle justice is murder. It is not justice. It is a crime, and the Nigeria Police Force will treat it as such. It is illegal. Full stop.
“Nigeria operates under the rule of law, not mob rule. No citizen, community or group has the right to try, sentence or execute another person.”
