Journal of Christian Religious Studies

This study examines the relationship between socio-legal failure and the moral agency of Christians who participate in jungle justice in Kaduna Metropolis. Jungle justice, understood as extrajudicial mob action against suspected offenders, constitutes a significant ethical and sociolegal challenge because it involves the assumption of punitive authority by individuals and groups outside established legal institutions. The study aims to evaluate how weaknesses in the criminal justice system influence Christian responses to suspected criminality and to assess whether such institutional failures can provide moral justification for participation in mob violence. The study adopts a qualitative approach based on documentary analysis of relevant biblical texts, theological literature, legal frameworks, and scholarly studies on mob justice and criminal justice administration. Locke’s Social Contract Theory and Divine Command Theory provide the theoretical framework for examining the relationship between state responsibility, social order, divine authority, and individual moral responsibility. The study finds that perceived socio-legal failures, including police inefficiency, corruption, delayed justice, and declining public confidence in legal institutions, can create conditions that encourage individuals to resort to extrajudicial measures. However, these failures do not provide a Christian ethical justification for jungle justice. From the perspectives of the Imago Dei, Romans 13, and biblical principles of justice and due process, participation in mob violence compromises Christian moral agency and the sanctity of human life. The study concludes that Christian moral responsibility remains operative even where state institutions fail. It recommends stronger Christian ethical formation, civic education, responsible policing, accessible justice mechanisms, and church-based advocacy for lawful and humane responses to suspected criminality.

Open Full Text (PDF)