Jungle Justice: Ex-police officer, one other set ablaze by Irate Youths in Enugu
By Collins Mbakwe
Two persons, including a former police officer, have been set ablaze for allegedly robbing a Point of Sale (POS) operator in Enugu State.
The incident happened on Wednesday along Bissalla Road, Independence Layout, Enugu North Local Government Area of the state.
The suspects, operating in a tricycle were reportedly caught by an angry mob after they robbed the POS operator and attempted to flee on their tricycle.
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A witness who asked not to be named told PREMIUM TIMES that the suspects had been terrorising POS operators in the area before the latest incident.
“Some youths pursued them immediately after the robbery, but their tricycle was hit by a moving vehicle causing the tricycle to stop abruptly,” he said.
“The youths then caught them and set them ablaze,” the source narrated.
There were reports shortly after, suggesting that the two victims were serving police officers in New Haven Police Divisional Headquarters.
But the Commissioner of Police in Enugu State, Ahmed Ammani, has refuted the reports.
In a statement, on Thursday, by the police spokesperson in the state, Daniel Ndukwe, Mr Ammani, said their records revealed that one of the suspects was a former police officer.
The police commissioner identified the former officer as Benjamin Ogbode, a police constable, saying he had long been dismissed from the police for “indiscipline”.
“Hence, he can never be seen or said to be a serving policeman as claimed,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mr Ammani has condemned the mob action against the suspects.
He said the police have launched an investigation into the incident.
The police commissioner cautioned residents against resorting to “self-help to carry out acts of jungle justice”, pointing out that such action was “totally condemnable and tantamount to the commission of crime in itself.”
He urged residents of the state to always be law-abiding and assist the police in the fight against crime by arresting and handing over suspected criminals to the police for action.
