Unlawful Protests and Jungle Justice Might Attract 5 Years of Jail

Hon. Emeka Chinedu Martin of the People Democratic Party representing Imo State, on Thursday 1st July proposed a Bill titled the Criminal Code Act Amendment Bill, 2021.

This Bill proposed 5-year jail terms for unlawful protesters. It was read for the first time and has been approved for a second reading. 

The Bill which is entitled: “An Act To Amend The Criminal Code ACT, CAP 38, Laws Of The Federation Of Nigeria, 2004 To Further Preserve The Sanctity Of Human Life And Property, And To Provide Specifically For Mob Action, Prescribe Punishment And Other Matters” is proposed to punish unlawful protesters and those who engage in mob action.

The lawmaker cited the tragic Aluu Four event of 2012, which involved four male students from the University of Port Harcourt who went to regain a debt, but was falsely accused of being thieves, therefore, leading to their painful murder by an awful mob in Aluu, Rivers State. 

To further make his point, the lawmaker cited an incident that occurred in Ondo State in 2016, in which a man was accused of homosexuality and was beaten to death by a mob. He went on to mention more similar cases. 

According to him;

“The failure of our law enforcement agents to prevent mob justice or punish those who participate in it has lent an air of acceptability to this vile practice. How often people resort to jungle justice as a form of punishment to alleged offenders is also a testament to the fact that people have lost faith in the criminal justice system. Ever too often the participants in mob actions go unpunished.”

For the sake of clarity Unlawful assembly, was defined as “Riot, Mob action (a) When three or more persons, with intent to carry out some common purpose, assemble in such a manner or, being assembled, conduct themselves in such a manner as to cause persons in the neighbourhood to fear on reasonable grounds that the persons so assembled will tumultuously disturb the peace, or will by such assembly needlessly and without any reasonable occasion provoke other persons tumultuously to disturb the peace, they are an unlawful assembly. It is immaterial that the original assembling was lawful if, being assembled; they conduct themselves with a common purpose in such a manner as aforesaid”.

The proposed Bill seeks to amend the Criminal Code Act, Cap 38, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 to further preserve the sanctity of human life and property, and to provide specifically for the crime of mob action, prescribe punishment and other matters connected therewith.

If this Bill is passed into law, perpetrators of jungle justice will be reliable to go to jail. Also, mobs and rioters will face jail terms.

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