The National Coalition Against Mass Abductions, Atrocities, Killings, Extra-Judicial Killings, Mob Actions and Impunity (NCAMKI) and the Gani Fawehinmi Memorial Organisation (GAFAMORG) have condemned calls for citizens and community security groups to kill suspected bandits, kidnappers and other alleged criminals outside the law.
The groups said the failure of Nigeria’s justice system could not justify mob action, jungle justice or extra-judicial killings, warning that the country could not fight impunity by creating another form of impunity.
Their position followed reports that Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, allegedly urged members of the Iru Ekun Network in Ondo State to “eliminate” suspected bandits and kidnappers rather than hand them over to the police and the courts.
The reported justification was that suspects taken to court could eventually return to the community and commit further crimes.
But the two groups, in a statement, described such reasoning as dangerous, stressing that anger and frustration over failures in the justice system must not become a licence for individuals or groups to take the law into their own hands.
The statement was signed by Comrade Tunde Agunbiade and issued on September 4, 2026.
“The failure of our justice system is not a reason to break the law,” the groups said, insisting that while kidnappers, bandits and terrorists must be held accountable, vigilantes, activists, security personnel and other individuals must equally be subject to the law.
They argued that activism and community defence should be built around principles rather than personalities, saying human rights advocates could not condemn unlawful killings by government officials while simultaneously supporting similar acts by vigilantes.
“An activist cannot choose which law to obey today and which one to break tomorrow,” the groups said.
They acknowledged the frustration of communities whose residents have suffered attacks and whose members have watched suspects arrested and subsequently released.
However, they maintained that “anger cannot replace the law,” urging Nigerians to demand accountability through lawful means.
According to the organisations, where police officers arrest suspects and release them without justification, the circumstances should be investigated. Where security personnel collaborate with criminals, such conduct should be exposed, while prosecutors whose actions undermine cases should be held accountable.
They also called for reforms where courts delay justice and legal action against security agencies accused of abusing their powers.
“If the justice system is broken, fix it,” they said, warning against creating a parallel system in which private groups assume the roles of police, judge and executioner.
The groups further drew a distinction between legitimate community security and mob justice. They supported community-based early warning systems, prompt reporting of suspicious activities, cooperation between residents and security agencies, the protection of victims and witnesses, and the arrest and lawful handover of suspects to the police.
However, they rejected mob action, torture, forced confessions, arbitrary arrests, collective punishment, attacks based on ethnicity or religion and the activities of self-appointed execution groups.
“Vigilance is not vigilantism. Community defence is not mob justice,” they said.
The groups also warned against allowing the security crisis to deepen ethnic tensions in the South-West, stressing that the region did not need a conflict between criminals and vigilantes.
They maintained that private armed groups must not be allowed to operate beyond accountability while claiming to protect communities.
The organisations also rejected collective blame and urged Nigerians not to attack members of any ethnic group because of the alleged actions of an individual.
“Crime is personal, not tribal,” they said, warning against the use of security concerns as a pretext for attacks on Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo, Fulani or other communities.
They called on the federal and state governments to strengthen intelligence gathering, policing, investigation, prosecution, witness protection, forensic capacity, prison administration, court reforms, early-warning systems and support for victims.
They said failures in these areas often fuel public anger and erode confidence in the justice system.
The organisations also urged activists and community leaders to uphold the rule of law even when public emotions are high.
“If you have evidence, give it to the police. If police are corrupt, expose them. If courts fail, demand reform. Mobilise people peacefully and lawfully,” they said.
“But do not become what you are fighting.”
NCAMKI and GAFAMORG said they would continue to oppose kidnapping, banditry, terrorism, police corruption, extra-judicial killings and impunity while defending communities, victims, the Constitution and the right to life.
They stressed, however, that they would not support mob or jungle justice, regardless of who was involved.
“The Nigeria we want cannot be built by replacing one lawlessness with another,” the groups said, reiterating their position that the fight against impunity must never become an excuse for creating more impunity.
