Ogun: Police warn against jungle justice as mob burns two suspected ritualists
By Bankole Taiwo, Abeokuta
Following the setting ablaze of two suspected ritualists in Oja-Odan in the Yewa-North Local Government Area of Ogun State on Saturday by irate crowd, the state Commissioner of Police, Lanre Bankole has warned residents to desist from such jungle justice
Recall that the two suspects – Idowu Afolabi and Johnson Adebiyi – were caught by some youths in the area with fresh human parts and were handed over to the policemen at Oja Odan divisional headquarters by some residents where they were detained.
But the situation took a scary dimension when the irate crowd stormed the police station, overwhelmed the operatives on duty and forcibly marched the suspects out of their cells and set them ablaze in front of the station.
The suspects were allegedly in possession of fresh human parts.
The Commissioner in a statement on Sunday has however described the action of the irate crowd as barbaric and unlawful, stating that he would no longer tolerate such in the state.
The statement which was signed by the Police Public Relations Officer of the state command, Abimbola Oyeyemi read partly, “While the suspects were being interrogated in the station, some unscrupulous elements went and mobilized large number of people who invaded the station aggressively, overwhelmed the police personnel on duty and subsequently hijacked the suspects, beaten them to death and set their corpses ablaze.
“In view of the incident, the command wishes to sound a note of warning to those who are always in the habit of taking laws into their hands to desist from such uncivilized behaviour as the command will henceforth be dealing with whoever carried out such action in the most decisive manner.
“A suspect remains a suspect until he/she is convicted by a court of competent jurisdiction no matter how grievous the crime he suspected to have committed might be.”
Meanwhile, the CP has ordered a full scale investigation into the incident with the view to bringing to justice those who participated in carrying out the barbaric and unlawful killing of the suspects.
The CP appealed to members of the public to have confidence in the nation’s criminal justice system and desist from self help as such is alien to the law of the land.
