Public Retributive Violence in Nigeria: Legal Analysis and the Duty of Familial Repair

Public Retributive Violence in Nigeria

Abstract

Public retributive violence is a pressing socio-legal issue in Nigeria, having claimed the lives of numerous citizens and depriving them of the dignity and honour inherently due to every human person. It is recognized as one of the most degrading and horrific ways to die. While a few victims may narrowly escape death due to timely intervention by law enforcement agents, the vast majority of documented cases reveal that they are brutally murdered through excessive beating, torture, and ultimately being set ablaze in a practice commonly referred to as necklacing; a form of summary execution. These punishments are often meted out on individuals alleged to have committed offences such as petty theft, armed robbery, blasphemy, witchcraft, and other morally or socially reprehensible acts. However, in many instances, the victims are later found to be innocent of the accusations levelled against them. This article therefore discusses the concept of retributive violence as a form of extrajudicial punishment, while considering the legal frameworks prohibiting it, the police and prosecutorial failures, the difficulty in the identification of the perpetrators, and the inclusiveness of victims’ relatives in restorative-justice and repair policy.