Salihu Tanko-Yakasai decries selective outrage over Deborah killing
Former Kano State governorship candidate Salihu Tanko-Yakasai has strongly criticised what he calls “selective outrage” by some Nigerians from the South, in response to the mob killing of Deborah Samuel in Sokoto. He argued that while many Southerners are quick to condemn violence in the North, they often remain silent when similar acts of “jungle justice” happen in their own region.
In a piece titled “Jungle Justice: The Hypocrisy of the Southern Nigerians,” Yakasai said that mob violence is not exclusively a Northern problem. He insisted that Southern Nigeria has equally disturbing cases, including stoning, burning people alive with tyres, and other brutal forms of extrajudicial punishment.
He noted specific incidents: the 2025 lynching and burning of 16 northerners in Uromi, Edo State, the violence in Sasa Market in Ibadan (2021) where Hausa traders were killed, and attacks in Orlu and Umuaka, Imo State, where northern traders were shot by armed separatists, among others.
Yakasai emphasised that condemning these crimes should not be about region but about justice. He said that mob killings anywhere in Nigeria are driven by emotion and a lack of trust in the formal justice system. He argued that selective condemnation based on geography or religion weakens national unity and allows mob justice to thrive.
His main message: Nigerians must condemn mob violence wherever it happens, not just when it fits a regional narrative. He warned that allowing “the mob to decide who lives or dies” is dangerous for everyone and that until the justice system is strengthened and trusted, these acts will continue.
