The Senate yesterday being the 23rd of November condemned the act of Jungle Justice because the act is now becoming rampant in Nigeria.
The Senate asked the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, State Attorney Generals and the Police to apprehend and try those involved.
The Senate also appeal to the Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters to be fast in the passage of the Anti-Jungle Justice Bill and ask the Nigerian Police to immediately confirm or deny the occurrence of the recent Jungle Justice action in Lagos and other states(burning that 7year old boy).
The upper chamber ask the Nigerian Police to get rid of those involved in the recent act and as the speech continues the Police and other security agencies were urged to live up to their responsibilities to protect the younger ones.
The resolutions were sequel to a motion by Senator Gbenga Ashafa, APC, Lagos East and co- sponsored by Senator Ali Ndume, APC, Borno South, titled, Condemning the rising cases of Jungle Justice in the country.
Senator Ashafa said while presenting the motion;
“The Senate is distressed by the rising cases of jungle justice by mobs that have arrogated to themselves the power to condemn others to death and execute judgement without recourse to the law courts in different parts of Nigeria.
“The Senate is worried about this trend, especially the case of a young man recently lynched in Orile area of Lagos State for stealing.
“Horrified that these rising barbaric acts are in most cases, perpetrated with a crowd of people watching unperturbed is most disheartening as each act dehumanizes us as a race.
“ Furious that this is happening and continues to become more alarming everyday in these considerable hard conditions our people are passing through.
“Disgusted that this is not the first time in the country that mobs have engaged’ in jungle justice. Some of the instances of jungle justice are still fresh in our memories. We can never forget when four young boys, Ugonna Obuzor, Toku Lloyd, Chiadika Biringa, and Tekena Elkanah, all students of the University of Port Harcourt were lynched in 2012 after they were falsely accused of being thieves at Aluu, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.’’
Senator Ali Ndume, the Senate leader in his contribution to Senator Ashafa's motion said:
“The case of a 7- year-old at Orile, Lagos, has gone viral and that is why myself and the mover of the motion said we should ask the police to confirm or deny because sometimes social media messages can be faulty.
“We have had several times leaders being stripped naked in the public by mob. We really need to standup to this and condemn it and, in fact, move further to do something, otherwise we are going to have a society where everybody that is strong enough or have the number can take the law into their hands.
‘’This case is very serious and this Senate is not for standing up occasions like this and I urge my colleagues to support this very simple, straight forward motion. We must look at doing something about the disorderliness and the mob action that is so recurrent in our society these days.’’
Senator Shehu Sani, APC, Kaduna Central, who noted that Jungle Justice had become a normal thing in Nigeria because of void trust among the people, government and the police, also contributed by saying:
“It is quite unfortunate that mob justice is becoming a way of life in our communities, towns and in villages and I can directly attribute it to the loss of confidence between the people, the government and the law enforcement agencies. It has become a recurrent decimal that each day you see people being killed.’’
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