- The mob killing in Lagos happened around 5:15 a.m after two suspected armed robbers attempted to escape from residents in Surulere.
- Eyewitnesses said the suspects were initially tied up but were attacked when they tried to run away.
- Residents condemned the gruesome killing near a primary school, describing it as a failure of policing and security response.
- Human rights groups have called on the government to address the rise in mob justice and ensure fair prosecution of suspects.
Residents of the Baruwa community in Ijeshatedo, Surulere, Lagos, were thrown into shock on Wednesday morning when two suspected armed robbers were killed by an angry mob after an alleged failed robbery attempt.
Eyewitnesses said the suspects were caught around 5:15 a.m by vigilant residents who had reportedly noticed suspicious movements. Initially, the mob tied them up with plans to hand them over to the police, but things quickly turned violent when the men tried to escape.
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“We only restrained them at first,” said one resident who spoke on condition of anonymity. “But when they tried to flee, the crowd became furious and descended on them.”
The incident occurred near a local primary school, leaving many residents, especially parents, deeply disturbed. Miss Oluwabunmi, a resident, said it was distressing that such an act happened in front of children. “It was a terrible scene. If police responded faster to crime, people wouldn’t take laws into their hands,” she said.
Recent months have seen an increase in mob killings in Lagos, as frustrated residents resort to jungle justice amid growing insecurity and distrust in the police. In June, a suspected motorcycle thief was burnt alive in Alakuko, while another similar case happened in July around Ogunlana Drive, also in Surulere.
Human rights advocates, including the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), have consistently condemned mob justice in Nigeria. They urge security agencies to uphold the rule of law and ensure that suspects face prosecution in court, not death by mob action.
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Attempts to reach the Cele Police Division for comments proved unsuccessful, but police sources confirmed that the remains of the two victims have been deposited at the Isolo General Hospital mortuary as investigations continue.
Despite several campaigns by Amnesty International and other rights groups, mob killings in Nigeria continue to claim dozens of lives yearly, especially in urban areas where residents have lost faith in law enforcement.
