Again, CP
Warns Against Jungle Justice
Angry mob
yesterday stormed a den of suspected ritualists at Ile-Zik area of the old
Lagos-Abeokuta expressway in Lagos State, in search of members of alleged
killer
gang.
At the end
of the search, which, according to sources, started around 7:00a.m., two
suspects were set ablaze.
Sources said
the victims were lynched on the suspicion that they were members of a ritualist
gang operating in the place and selling human parts to highly placed persons in
the society.
Armed mobile
policemen from the Lagos State Command Headquarters and operatives of the Rapid
Response Squad (RRS) have since been drafted to the area to ensure that
normalcy was restored to the area.
Pandemonium
broke out on Thursday morning when news of the alleged discovery of yet another
ritualist tunnel at Ile Zik Bus-Stop spread round the metropolis like wild
fire.
The tunnel,
which was uncovered by residents of the area, according to witnesses, was
inhabited by some persons of questionable character.
Following
the shocking discovery on Thursday, angry residents, armed with dangerous
weapons, trooped to the area yesterday in search of more members of the gang.
Although the
Lagos State Police Command had earlier dismissed the claim of the discovery
another ritualists den at the spot, saying those found residing in the secluded
area were destitutes, witnesses alleged that they saw some human parts among
items recovered from the area by the Police.
The crowd,
spoiling for the blood of the two suspects found inside the den by the Police
and the alleged recovery of human parts on Thursday, yesterday set plans in
motion to lynch anybody found hiding in the place.
It was
gathered that based on this suspicion, some hoodlums had converged at the scene
as early as 7:00am in search of the remaining members of the gang.
The group,
numbering over 20, stormed the place and was said to have discovered some
people still living inside the hideout.
An
eyewitness said: “Two persons who were found to be sleeping in the area were
dragged out and set on fire before the Police arrived.
In an
attempt to rescue the suspects, Policemen from RRS fired canisters of tear gas
into the air to disperse the crowd. The remains of the suspects have been
removed by the Police.
The
eyewitness said the hoodlums were reacting to last Wednesday’s discovery of
another tunnel where ritualists hide to perpetuate their evil acts at Obadeyi
Bus-Stop in Ijaiye area of the state.
The news,
which first made the rounds on the social media, had claimed that the scene at
Ile-Zik was the hideout of ritualists and had two suspects hiding inside.
The news
also claimed that the two suspects arrested by the Police on Thursday were in
possession of an iPhone, even though they looked sane until residents accosted
them and they began to act like mentally deranged persons.
Immediately
the news of the lynching of the two persons broke out, the Commander of RRS,
Tunji Disu, and other Police officers stormed the area, with a view to rescuing
the suspects.
They arrived
late, as they watched the charred remains of the deceased lying by the
roadside, but their prompt response restored normalcy in the area.
According to Guardian, A mammoth
crowd had gathered around the Expressway to catch a glimpse of the bodies of
the deceased, thereby hindering smooth vehicular movement.
Meanwhile,
the state Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, while reacting to the lynching
of the suspects, said the Command had in the past few days, recorded incidents
of jungle justice across the state and in the course of discharging its
constitutional responsibilities and preventing the barbaric act, Police
officers were fatally wounded, while stones were hurled at them, as well as the
Police patrol vans.
Owoseni
said: “There is no justification for jungle justice on suspected persons. It is
barbaric and uncivilised. It is a manifestation of the erosion of our moral
values and a disregard to sanctity of human lives. It violates the rule of law
and dents the image of the State.
“Above all,
it is a violation of the law and all those arrested in connection with the
aforementioned cases will be made to face the full wrath of the law.
“The public
is advised to report any suspicious happenings in their areas to the Police and
other security agencies. The public is assured of the renewed commitment of the
Police and other security agencies to prompt response to such reports.”
“The public
is also assured of renewed synergy amongst the institutions saddled with
criminal justice administration towards ensuring quick dispensation of
justice.”
The Police
boss warned the public to desist from this unlawful and barbaric act, as no
effort would be spared in ensuring that lawful means are used to bring to
justice to anyone who violates the law.
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