Jungle Justice: Police Nab 18 Suspects Over Lynched Inspector

In a tragic display of jungle justice that ended in a double-fatality, the Plateau State Police Command has confirmed the arrest of 18 suspects in connection with the brutal lynching of an Inspector, Lasare Jeremiah. The incident, which unfolded last Wednesday in the Nyakala community of Bassa Local Government Area, serves as a stark and painful reminder of the deep-seated distrust between citizens and law enforcement in Nigeria, and the catastrophic consequences of a community taking the law into its own hands. The mob’s actions were propelled by a false alarm from a criminal suspect, creating an ironic and devastating scene of a law-abiding officer and the very criminal he was meant to apprehend dying at the hands of the same mob.

The concept of “jungle justice,” or mob violence, is a recurring and harrowing issue in Nigeria, often driven by a collective sense of frustration and a profound lack of faith in the formal criminal justice system. Decades of perceived police inefficiency, slow court proceedings, and instances of corruption have fostered an environment where many Nigerians feel compelled to seek instant, extrajudicial solutions. This sentiment is particularly strong in communities that feel underserved or where there is a history of violence and insecurity. The spontaneous nature of these attacks, often fueled by anger and little to no investigation, means that accusations, whether false or true, can lead to immediate and fatal consequences. It is a societal problem that bypasses the constitutional rights to life and fair hearing, replacing them with a dangerous and often irreversible form of mob rule.

According to the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Alabo Alfred, Inspector Jeremiah, who was attached to the Criminal Investigation Department, was on a legitimate duty with a colleague to apprehend a suspect named Audu Abdullahi. The suspect had been terrorizing residents of the Nyakala community, and the police were acting on an official mandate. However, in the course of the arrest, Abdullahi, in a desperate bid to escape, raised a false alarm, screaming that the officers were motorcycle thieves. This single, misleading cry was enough to incite a large mob. Without a moment’s hesitation to verify the identities of the officers, the crowd descended on Jeremiah and his colleague, beating them to a pulp. The mob’s frenzy resulted in the death of Inspector Jeremiah. In a final, tragic twist, the same crowd, upon realizing they had been deceived, turned on the criminal suspect, Audu Abdullahi, also beating him to death before abandoning his body.

The incident is particularly poignant when viewed through the lens of police-community relations in Plateau State. The region has endured a long and complex history of civil unrest, ethnic clashes, and farmer-herder conflicts. This perpetual state of tension has contributed to a general atmosphere of distrust and a tendency for communities to resort to vigilantism or informal justice systems. While government and international organizations have worked to implement community policing initiatives and bridge the gap between law enforcement and citizens, a single act of misinformation can unravel years of progress. The mob’s actions demonstrate that in a moment of panic, institutional trust can be completely overridden by a collective impulse to take justice into one’s own hands, with devastating and irreversible consequences for all involved.

The Plateau State Police Command is now mourning the loss of a key officer. The PPRO, DSP Alabo Alfred, described the death of Inspector Jeremiah as a huge loss to the Command. He lamented that Jeremiah was a highly regarded officer within the State Criminal Investigation Department, a professional, hardworking, and brilliant officer whose death is a “loss to his family, the people, and the Nigerian Police.” His death at the hands of those he was sworn to protect underscores the immense risks police officers face in a society where their authority and integrity are often questioned and their lives are put on the line without a moment’s notice.

The arrests of the 18 suspects signal that the police will not tolerate such actions. DSP Alfred condemned the resort to jungle justice, emphasizing that there is a legal framework for a reason and that such lawlessness is unacceptable in a civilized society. Under Nigerian law, those arrested in connection with the lynching could face severe charges, including murder and conspiracy. The Nigerian Constitution guarantees every citizen’s right to life and a fair hearing, principles that were brutally violated in this incident. The prosecution of the perpetrators is crucial not only to bring justice for Inspector Jeremiah and the suspect who also lost his life but to serve as a powerful deterrent against future acts of mob violence, reinforcing the message that no one is above the law and that the justice system, despite its flaws, is the only legitimate recourse.