By Ismail Auwal
As Nigerians continue to express outrage over the killing of Sokoto female student, irate mob lynched a robbery suspect and set the body ablaze in Auchi, Etsako West Local Government Area of Edo State.
The Benin State Police Command while confirming the killing described it as “barbaric and dehumanising act of jungle justice by youths masquerading as vigilantes in Auchi.”
The state police command’s Public Relations Officer, Kontongs Bello, did not however disclose the identity of the suspect.
The Commissioner of Police in Edo, Abutu Yaro, has ordered a thorough investigation into the incident.
“The Commissioner of Police while reacting to the ugly incident, frowned at the action of the vigilantes, who instead of taking the suspect to the police for proper investigation and prosecution, aided the irate mob to burn the suspect allegedly arrested for stealing to death without any recourse to the law,” said the statement.
“CP Abutu Yaro, fdc who described the act as barbaric and inimical to the law governing our dear country, warned Edo State indigenes that the command under his watch will not allow disgruntled elements in the society to take laws into their hands by killing suspects arrested for alleged crimes in such a dehumanising and unlawful manner.”
The police commissioner also warned that nobody has the right to treat suspects in such a manner, adding that it was wrong for anyone to assume the position of a law enforcement agency.
According to him, suspects apprehended in connection with any crime should be immediately handed over to the police or any law enforcement agency constitutionally saddled with the responsibility of investigating and prosecuting such persons.
Yaro, however, appealed to the residents to be calm, saying the command was already mopping up those responsible for the killing for possible prosecution.
