A growing wave of public humiliation of suspected thieves is spreading across parts of Nigeria, with several viral videos showing alleged offenders being forced into degrading acts instead of being handed over to law enforcement authorities.
The trend, popularly described online as “99 days for the thief, one day for the owner,” has become especially visible in parts of the South-South, including Benin City in Edo State and Asaba in Delta State, where multiple videos of suspected thieves being publicly shamed, beaten or compelled to perform humiliating acts have circulated in recent months.
One of the latest videos attracting widespread attention shows two young men accused of stealing a bag of fresh pepper allegedly being forced by a crowd to eat the raw pepper while drinking dry gin. The exact location of the incident has not been independently confirmed, and police have not issued any official statement on the footage.
The pepper incident is the latest in a series of viral punishments. In another widely shared video believed to have been recorded in Benin City, a man accused of stealing electrical wires was reportedly forced to wear the wires as a makeshift crown and rap while onlookers mocked and filmed him.
Other clips circulating online show suspects allegedly made to dance, sing or twerk beside the items they were accused of stealing, including cooking pots and laptops. A separate video from the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) also showed a man accused of laptop theft being forced to dance before a cheering crowd.
The videos have generated sharply divided reactions on social media. Some Nigerians argue that public humiliation serves as a stronger deterrent against theft than the country’s criminal justice system, while others say the practice amounts to jungle justice and encourages lawlessness.
Public affairs analyst and activist Simon Zion said the trend had become so widespread that suspected thieves were now expected to “entertain the crowd,” adding that the situation reflects growing frustration with insecurity and theft.
However, legal experts have condemned the practice. Abuja-based lawyer David Mike Agada said that under Nigerian law, anyone accused of a crime remains innocent until proven guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction.
“The law is very clear. A suspect remains innocent until proven guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction. Subjecting anyone to public humiliation, assault or degrading treatment is unlawful,” Agada said.
He urged members of the public to hand suspected offenders over to the police or other security agencies for investigation and prosecution rather than taking the law into their own hands.
The incidents have renewed concerns about the increasing resort to vigilante-style punishment in some communities and the potential danger of innocent people being publicly humiliated or attacked without due process.
