Jungle Justice: Mob Killing of Thieves in Lagos

Lagos is the most populated city in Nigeria with an estimated population of about six million people. Lagos is also the commercial nerve centre of the Nigerian nation. Lagos is unique for so many reasons. Apart from the fact that that Lagos is unique because it is overpopulated and also because it is the home base of crooks popularly known as the “Area Boys”, Lagos is most famed for the way immediate justice is done to any thief that is caught in the act. This is also known as jungle justice.

Image via Wikipedia

    Lagos is not a jungle. This city though very populated is a very beautiful city; in fact, places like Lekki, Ajah and Victoria Island in the heart of Lagos could compete favourably with any beautiful part of a major city any where in the world but Lagos is the only major city where instant judgment is meted out on any criminal or criminals caught in the art of stealing.

Recently, a gang of burglars had raided a house in a crowded neighborhood around Oshodi, a suburb of Lagos. The well trained criminals quickly gained access to the building and immediately started to harass the innocent but seriously scared members of a family of seven.

The thieves had a field day because they were seemingly lucky. They were alleged to have gotten about 1.5 million naira in cash (About $10,000) apart from other valuables including the international passport of the head of the family with valid multiple visas into some countries. Not done, the thieves demanded and got the key to the family’s Toyota V8 SUV.  Still not done, one of the three gang members shot and wounded the head of the family when he was thought to be too slow to show them the workings of the security fittings that came with Sport utility Vehicle. The first mistake the criminals made was to rob in broad day light (They never considered it a mistake because they were daredevil robbers) the second mistake was to have aroused the suspicion of the ever vigilant neighborhood with the piercing sound of a single gunshot.