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God frowns at jungle justice- clerics

As criminal activities have continue to increase by the day, people have resorted to taking laws into their hands. Several cases of lynching of suspected kidnappers, thieves or Badoo gang members have been reported despite warnings from the police force that people should not take laws into their hands anymore. Aggrieved residents won’t stop until they have lynched anyone suspected to be disturbing their peace.
Encomium Weekly spoke with religious leaders on what their religion says about jungle justice. 
Here are their responses.
Alfa Taofeeq Bakare-Agoro
The issue is a two-way thing. In the Sharia of Islam, we are not allowed to burn people to death as Allah alone has the supreme power to punish anyone with fire. Even animals, we must have slaughtered such animal before we can set it ablaze. You dare not set a life animal ablaze, it’s abominable, not to talk of our fellow human being. No matter the gravity of the offence committed by such person, we must not lynch him to death. Every community has its own constituted authority.  No matter how weak the security authority of such community is, residents do not have the right to take laws into their hands, that’s one.  Secondly, if we are so angered that the constituted authority is acting well, we do not have the right to kill anyone by setting him ablaze. In Islam, even if someone steals, you can’t just kill him the way we do here. We would first measure the value of what he has stolen before we can decide where his case falls in Sharia. If he steals food item or little money, be rest assured that he is hungry. But if he steals valuable items or huge amount of money, that’s when you can cut his hand off so he will forever remember what he did.

Pastor Jegede

Jungle justice is not biblically allowed, God  Himself is God of justice, lawyers only go by facts. Vengeance is not allowed. Anything that is not in order should be reported to thee constituted authority, we should not take laws into our hands. If anyone takes laws into his hand, he should be made to incur the wrath of the law. If they slap you on the left face, turn the right to them, it is the truth. Only God knows the truth, truth resides with God. It’s unbiblical to take laws into our hands, we might end up killing an innocent person in the cause. We can should stop taking laws into our hands.

Pastor Joshua Shobiye
Christianity does not support jungle justice. Roman 12 Vs 17 says “Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.” 1Thessalonians 5 Vs 15 says that none render evil for evil into any man, but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves and to all men. We should learn to live in peace and whoever commits crime should be handed over to the right authority, we should not lynch them to death. Don’t take the life you can’t give.
Azeezat Kareem
Encomium

Written by Encomium

A media, tech and events company.

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