Plateau: From Home of hospitality to hub of jungle justice

By Marie-Therese Nanlong, JOS

For decades, PlateauState was branded as the home of  hospitality. It was acclaimed for its peaceful disposition to issues, and there was no report of jungle justice or inexplicable resort to criminality-looting, burning or stealing in the public space. But all that has fizzled into the oblivion, as mobs, irate elements and hoodlums have taken over the space and have been violating the law by killing, burning anyone accused of theft, or breach of any moral code. Rather than report such actions to the police or any other law-enforcement agency, irate gangs execute the suspect instantly and move on, in a manner that speaks of primitivism   and lawlessness in an age of civilization and progress.  In the circumstance, Plateau and many of its communities have now gained a notoriety of jungle justice arising from years of brutal killing,  lynching  and burning of people suspected of committing any form of crime. These heinous and malevolent acts have not only stained the image of the communities but have also left in their wake grief and unmitigated losses in human and material resources.

For instance, in 2022, a young man accused of theft in the Eto Baba area of Jos had a little chance to defend himself before an irate mob descended on him, beating him to death in full public glare. His pleas of innocence were drowned in a frenzy of rage. The matter sparked days of tension  and disturbances but quietly fizzled without justice served.

Barely a year later, in 2023, the Tudun Wada axis of the city witnessed another incident. Then came 2024 in the Jenta Adamu community of Jos, where some suspected cultists were lynched before the police could arrive. Despite investigations and media outrage, the perpetrators largely walked free.

A few weeks ago, a woman, identified as CeCe, accused of stealing a drunkard’s manhood, was almost lynched over a false alarm.

These chilling episodes illustrate a grim pattern: a culture where suspicion, fear, and misinformation replace the rule of law. In each case, mobs turned into judges, prosecutors and executioners, leaving behind trails of sorrow and impunity.

Sadly, the latest victim of this deadly cycle is Davou Boyi, a physically-challenged man from Vom in the Jos South LGA, whose life was torn apart by mob violence.

What began as a Sunday tragedy spiraled into a horror story that has left him broken in body and spirit. On April 27, 2025, some three children attending Sunday service in a church in the Dankarang community, Kuru District, strayed into a car parked in Davou’s compound. Unnoticed, they played inside, but tragedy struck when two of them suffocated and died, while one miraculously survived.

Davou, unaware of their presence, had been away at church. Returning home late, he went to bed, and left home again the next day, but on his return on Monday evening, he discovered the children in his car and quickly alerted neighbours, the police, and vigilante members. But before he could process the shock, rumours had swept through the community. Someone accused him of ritual sacrifice, branding him a murderer. The mob did not want to hear anything from Davou. They instantly descended on him with fury. “They hit me from behind, beat me mercilessly, threw tyres on me, ready to set me ablaze,” Davou recalled.

Neighbours, who pleaded for him, were also attacked. Only the timely arrival of Police from Kaduna Vom Division saved him from instant death.But the mob’s thirst for vengeance had only begun. While Davou was being treated in a clinic, they looted his house, destroyed property worth over N50 million, and eventually set it on fire. But they were not yet done. The most gruesome part of the blow came when his elder sister, Laraba Gyang, a mother of five and civil servant nearing retirement, arrived at the scene to seek explanations for the ill-treatment of her brother.

The mob swooped on her, dragged her, beat her, and set her ablaze. She was burnt alive. In other words, she was killed by the mob, who saw no reason for her attempt to enquire about her brother’s fate.

“It was wickedness,” lamented Pastor Ovey Abene, who has known Davou for over two decades. “Davou is a peace-loving man. Those responsible must be punished.”

Lawyers and rights advocates agree. “Mob action is criminal and dangerous. In a civilized society, suspects should be handed over to the Police. Such behaviour can incite ethno-religious violence,” warned Leah Hassan, Chairperson of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Jos branch.

Amnesty International, through its Nigeria representative Sanusi Isa, has also demanded justice, urging authorities not to allow the case to be swept under the carpet.From Eto Baba to Tudun Wada, Jenta Adamu to Vom, Plateau’s story is now stained with repeated mob killings that trample on justice and mock the rule of law. Jungle justice is not bravery, it is barbarism. It is not community protection, it is cold-blooded murder. Each time a mob takes the law into its hands, it destroys lives, fuels fear, and deepens the wounds of a fragile society. The death of Laraba Gyang and the destruction of her brother Davou’s life should be the final warning bell. Plateau State cannot continue to excuse lawless killings under the guise of anger or suspicion.

Authorities must fish out perpetrators, prosecute them publicly, and show that no one, no matter his or her position, is above the law. Community leaders, religious figures, and parents must also rise to educate followers that violence is never justice.

If nothing is done, Davou’s case will be just another name on a long, bloody list. But if taken seriously, it can be the turning point that finally ends mob action on the Plateau. Society owes it to Davou, to Laraba, and to every past victim of jungle justice to ensure that this shameful cycle is broken, once and for all.

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