April 11, 2023

The Nigeria Police, Ondo State Command, on Tuesday said it has arrested two suspects who allegedly stoned a 35-year-old man, Olorunfemi Tope, to death in Akure.

Angry mob on Monday stoned Tope to death, when his alleged reckless driving caused an accident that resulted in the death of two persons and injured six others.

The late Tope was said to have allegedly rammed into about five commercial motorcycles with their passengers along Ijoka road, by Sunday bus stop, Akure, in Ondo state capital.

Irate mob had allegedly beaten and stoned the reckless driver, Tope, to death and set his car ablaze.

But the state police command spokesperson, SP Olufunmilayo Odunlami-Omisanya, while featuring on a live radio programme on Tuesday, said police detectives had arrested two suspects over their allegedly jungle justice meted out on Tope.

Odunlami-Omisanya said that one of the two arrested suspects allegedly masterminded the burning of Tope’s car.

The command’s image maker, who said that the suspects would be charged to court for murder and arson, appealed to members of the public never to take laws into their hands.

“We need to see ourselves as one and love each other. We should first see ourselves as human beings before becoming either a commercial motorcyclist, policeman or any other professional.

“As of now, no one can confirm if the dead young man in question was an internet fraudster.

“Rather than people around to have helped when the accident happened, some resolved to jungle justice by killing the young man and setting his car ablaze.

“We need to refrain from engaging in jungle justice, shun hearsay and report any incident to nearby police station so that there will be peace in our community,” he said. (NAN)