A thief will be thanking his stars to be alive after residents in a Rivers State community against jungle justice as his punishment for stealing.

The residents rather decided the thief does community service as punishment for his criminal act. They, therefore, got him a shovel to clean the gutters and even bought him pure.

Though it sounds like a scene from a Nollywood movie, pictures of the incident was shared by a man, identified as The Mouth That Eats Salt & Pepper ?/@Manlike_ED, on Twitter.

He wrote,

Instead of setting him ablaze with a tyre around his neck, residents gave this petty thief a shovel to clean up gutters as his punishment stealing.

They even bought him pure water o, lol.

See community service ?

According to him, the criminal also got to drink two chilled bottles of Fanta and a full bag of sachet water.

Instead of setting him ablaze with a tyre around his neck, residents gave this petty thief a shovel to clean up gutters as his punishment stealing.

They even bought him pure water o, lol.

See community service ? pic.twitter.com/15oRbj4PSY

— The Mouth That Eats Salt & Pepper ? (@Manlike_ED) May 24, 2019

He got 2 bottles of fanta & a bag of cold pure water… Isn’t that enough? ?

— The Mouth That Eats Salt & Pepper ? (@Manlike_ED) May 24, 2019

Many commenters praised the resident for their innovation and decried jungle justice as punishment for petty stealing.

Gordon Mukonyezi, who described himself as a sports lover in Uganda, applauded the residents, saying:

Humanity took charge. I hope most people can pick a leaf from such a scenario. Burning a fellow human being, beating someone to death and other forms of mob justice isn’t proper all

Gina Sondo/@GinaSondo, an Afriquemedia International Correspondent, noted that whenever she speaks against jungle justice she gets hushed.

She wrote:

I always speak against mob justice… beating a thief to death, setting him or her ablaze and the other methods… But people always tell me “Na BC say thief man nova do you.” There are other ways of dealing with a thief.

 

Innovation in the least likely manner https://t.co/zKmjPslxy8

— Chimezie Anajama (@MsChimezie) 25 May 2019

I think possibly cleaning gutters in communities is a business idea from a punishment that saved his life. He can make his own money.

— Omolola Adele-Oso (@LAdeleoso) 24 May 2019

Isn’t that better? People are already killing themselves by themselves anyway. So kudos to them

— Becomingme (@Giginpearl) 24 May 2019

I think they should make him do this for like a month or two . So e go be like a contract but na punishment.

— Ekene ?? (@Keasungs) 24 May 2019

If we avoid ‘jungle justice’ for petty thieves like this and convert that to compulsory community service, our communities will be better for it. Many more offenders may repent and do more social good!https://t.co/zug8aMmcWi

— Aboki | Aburo (@egbojalaughter) 24 May 2019