An angry mob has burnt to death three suspected thieves in the Aseese area of Mowe in Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State. The suspects were beaten to death and their vehicle set ablaze on the suspicion of theft.
At the scene of the incident, policemen from Mowe Division saved two other persons from being killed. Reacting to the incident, the Ogun State Police Command’s spokesman, DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi, expressed concerns at the rate members of the public take laws into their own hands, accusing okada riders as fond of embarking on the barbaric act.
The motorcyclists have been accused of attacking motorists involved in an accident with any of their members and also setting such vehicles ablaze regardless of whether their member is at fault or not.
Speaking, Oyeyemi said: “The unfortunate incident happened in Aseese area of Mowe in Obafemi Owode LGA of Ogun State, where three persons were beaten to death and their vehicle set ablaze on mere suspicion of theft, an allegation that has not been substantiated by anyone.
“It was the quick intervention of police from Mowe Division that saved the other two from being gruesomely murdered. The command is hereby using this medium to warn that such unlawful behaviour will no longer be tolerated in any part of the state, and anybody caught in such dastardly act will be decisively dealt with in accordance with the dictate of the law.”
While acknowledging the right of everybody to arrest criminal suspects, Oyeyemi explained that such arrested person should be handed over to the law enforcement agencies for proper investigation and prosecution.
He said it is an act of barbarism for anybody to apply jungle justice on suspects, no matter how weighty the allegation against such a person might be.
Oyeyemi warned those in the primitive act to desist from it henceforth, saying the command would leave no stone unturned to hunt down anyone culpable of this act and bring same to justice. “To be forewarned is to forearmed,” he stated.
Editor’s Note: This photo is for illustration , not scene of the incident
