Let’s not sugarcoat it. Jungle justice is wickedness, plain and simple. It is the murder of a fellow human being by people who have decided that a crowd’s rage is better than a court of law. And somehow, we’ve normalized it.
You steal a phone, a bike, maybe even food to survive,and boom, you’re dead. The crowd doesn’t ask questions. No one verifies the story. People just swing into action, like it’s some kind of performance. Kick him. Strip him. Hang a tire. Pour petrol. Light the match. Applaud.
That’s what we’ve become. A nation where a hungry man can be burnt to death by people who can’t even spell “justice,” let alone uphold it.
But the real thieves the ones who steal billions, the ones who pocket pensions, loot COVID palliatives, divert education and health funds, and fly private jets while you drink sachet water,those ones walk free. In fact, they get promoted. You call them “Boss.” You post their birthdays. You defend them online like unpaid lawyers.
Why? Because they’re powerful. Because they have escorts and convoys. Because you’re either benefiting from their crumbs or too scared to speak. So you take all that anger and pour it on the nearest poor man who made a mistake, or maybe didn’t.
Tell the truth, if that man being burned was your brother, your son, your father,would you still pass the tire?
Let’s talk about the silence. When these things happen, our “God-fearing” citizens say nothing. Until it’s time to pray. They go to church and lift hands covered in the smoke of burnt flesh. They quote Bible verses after cheering a lynching. They sing “It is well” after watching a man die like an animal. What God do you think you’re worshipping?
This is not about defending theft. It’s about choosing decency. It’s about saying “No” to a system where poor people are executed in the street while rich thieves buy honorary doctorates. It’s about realizing that jungle justice isn’t justice at all, it’s lawlessness. It’s emotional dysfunction turned into a public spectacle.
And don’t tell me “We’re tired.” We’re all tired. But fatigue isn’t an excuse for cruelty. Burn a man today, and tomorrow it might be you. Or someone you love. Because once law is gone, no one is safe. All it takes is a rumor. A shout. A mob. And you’re the next headline.
We’ve built a country where the rich steal and trend, and the poor steal and burn. And we call that justice.
No. That’s evil.
And every time we light that match, it’s not just a body we burn.
It’s our soul.
Stephanie Shaakaa
University of Agriculture Makurdi
Benue state
