No excuse for mob action
The gruesome lynching of Malama Ummulkhairi Usman in Maraban Jos, Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State, following false and unsubstantiated allegations of attempted child theft, has rightly been condemned as reprehensible. No suspicion, rumour, or mob anger should ever justify taking a life without due process. Ummulkhairi’s death is, therefore, both a tragedy and […]
The gruesome lynching of Malama Ummulkhairi Usman in Maraban Jos, Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State, following false and unsubstantiated allegations of attempted child theft, has rightly been condemned as reprehensible. No suspicion, rumour, or mob anger should ever justify taking a life without due process. Ummulkhairi’s death is, therefore, both a tragedy and a failure of the very order that is meant to protect every citizen.
Resorting to jungle justice leaves only destruction and regret in its wake. It breeds a culture of fear in which any misunderstanding can escalate into murder. Ummulkhairi was not proven guilty of any crime, yet she was beaten and killed before the law could take its course. This happened despite the interventions of those who knew her to be an innocent, law-abiding member of the community. Yet, her husband, Muhammed Aliyu, now has to live without her support, while her children have been deprived of their mother’s care. Even the numerous students she was teaching have now been denied her valuable service.
Indeed, jungle justice makes communities less safe because suspicion replaces evidence and violence replaces the law. It undermines the rule of law itself by teaching citizens that the mob, not the court, is the final arbiter.
Of particular concern are the allegations surrounding the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in Maraban Jos. Reports claim that the DPO handed the victim over to the mob instead of securing her in custody. This is a grave allegation, and it would amount to a grave dereliction of duty and a betrayal of public trust if established to be true. The police exist to prevent exactly the kind of lawlessness that claimed Ummulkhairi’s life. Daily Trust joins Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani in calling for a thorough, transparent and time-bound investigation into the conduct of all security personnel involved. Any officer found to have been directly or indirectly complicit must face the full weight of the law, without exception.
It is encouraging that the government has moved swiftly to charge 41 suspects with culpable homicide and 30 with unlawful assembly, while 41 others remain under investigation. Releasing 17 persons found not to be culpable also shows that evidence, not emotion, is being applied. This effort must be sustained. Speedy but fair trials, witness protection and visible accountability will signal that Maraban Jos will not be forgotten and that perpetrators cannot hide behind the crowd.
The fate that befell Ummulkhairi is the same that has befallen over a hundred people in various parts of the country under similar circumstances. Reports by national dailies, as compiled by this newspaper, show that from June to December 2025, over 60 people were brutally murdered by mobs, while more than 20 were beaten to a stupor. From January 2026 to date, 27 people have already been killed, while another six have been brutally beaten by rampaging mobs. A closer look at these incidents reveals that allegations of theft and robbery were the most common triggers of the attacks. Victims were accused of stealing mobile phones, motorcycles, livestock, committing child theft, and blasphemy.
In the short term, the government’s public information agencies, such as the National Orientation Agency (NOA), must design and implement sustained campaigns to sensitise Nigerians through television, radio, social media, and face-to-face engagements at markets, motor parks and other public places on how to report offenders, handle suspects and hand them over to the appropriate authorities, allowing those authorities to perform their lawful duties. In the medium term, civic and human rights education must be properly taught in schools and reinforced through public awareness campaigns. Traditional rulers, clerics and other community leaders must also join this noble cause in order to build saner and more law-abiding communities.
While these steps are crucial, the authorities must also fulfil the most important part of their responsibility. They must strengthen the police to provide adequate security across the country, train and retrain officers on the fair, just and transparent handling of suspects, and emphasise the importance of accountability to the people they have sworn to protect. The justice system must also be reformed to deliver justice swiftly, consistently and transparently in a manner that removes doubts from the minds of citizens and engenders confidence in the process.
The persistence of mob action is, at its core, a vote of no confidence in our justice system. When people believe that cases will drag on for years, that the guilty will bribe their way out, or that the police will not respond promptly, they take the law into their own hands. To break this cycle, the judiciary and law enforcement agencies must remain accessible, timely and impartial, ensuring that justice is not only done but is also seen to be done.