Jungle justice

Form of extrajudicial punishment or killing

Jungle justice or mob justice is a form of public extrajudicial killings which can be found in Nigeria and Cameroon, where an alleged criminal is publicly humiliated, beaten and summarily executed by vigilantes or an angry mob.[1][2][3] Treatments can vary from a "muddy treatment", where the alleged criminal is forced to roll in mud for hours[4] to severe beatings followed by execution by necklacing. This form of street justice occurs where a dysfunctional and corrupt judiciary system and law enforcement have "lost all credibility. European principles of justice have likewise become discredited."[5][6]

Notable examples include the Bakassi Boys[5] and the Aluu four lynching.

See also

  • Frontier justice - Extrajudicial killings in the American Wild West

References

  1. ^ Cameroon's predicament, Peter Tse Angwafo, p 119
  2. ^ Nigeria's vigilante 'jungle justice', BBC News
  3. ^ Jungle Justice: A Vicious Violation if Human Rights in Africa, Amara Onu
  4. ^ Cable thief given muddy treatment in Anambra (Graphic Photos), Pulse
  5. ^ a b The Bakassi Boys: fighting crime in Nigeria, Johannes Harnischfeger, The Journal of Modern African Studies
  6. ^ Human Security and the Problem of Jungle (Mob) Justice in Cameroon, Samah, 2006[dead link]