Two suspected armed robbers were brutally lynched by an angry mob in the Baruwa area of Ijeshatedo, Surulere, in the early hours of Wednesday.
The incident occurred around 5:15 a.m. during what witnesses described as a failed robbery attempt.
According to local residents, the suspects were initially caught and restrained by community members, who reportedly planned to hand them over to the police.
However, the situation escalated after the suspects allegedly attempted to escape.
“We only tied them up at first,” said a resident. “But when they tried to run, people lost patience and attacked them.”
The killings occurred near a primary school, horrifying residents and sparking renewed outrage over the rise in mob violence and the apparent slow response of security agencies.
“It was a terrible sight,” said Miss Oluwabunmi, a local.
“No one should be butchered in front of schoolchildren. If the police were effective, people wouldn’t feel the need to take justice into their own hands.”
This latest incident adds to a troubling pattern of jungle justice across Lagos. In recent months, several similar cases have been reported, including the burning of a suspected motorcycle thief in Alakuko (June) and the lynching of another suspect near Ogunlana Drive, Surulere (July), just meters from the latest scene.
Human rights organisations, including the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), have consistently condemned such extrajudicial killings, urging the government to address public distrust in law enforcement by improving police presence and ensuring due process for all suspects.
“Mob justice is not justice. The state must step up its responsibility to protect both victims and suspects,” a CDHR statement said recently.
Attempts to reach the Cele Police Division for an official comment were unsuccessful.
However, police sources confirmed that the remains of the lynched suspects have been moved to the Isolo General Hospital mortuary, and investigations are currently underway.
Despite repeated government warnings and advocacy from civil society, mob justice remains alarmingly common in Nigeria, with Amnesty International reporting dozens of such deaths annually.
