An irate mob apprehended four armed men along the Abak Boulevard in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom state capital on Tuesday night and set two of the robbery suspects ablaze while others fled.
An eyewitness told our correspondent that the armed men attempted dispossessing a pregnant woman of her handbag around 9.00pm, when her cries for help attracted passers-by who came to her rescue by apprehending two of the robbery suspects, while the other two suspects escaped with the lady’s handbag.
The eyewitness stated further that “luck ran out of two of them when they were overpowered by many men who beat and stoned them before setting them ablaze.”
In a telephone interview, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Odiko Macdon frowned at the jungle justice meted on the robbery suspects as such a practice has no place in the law books.
“It is unfortunate that they were already set ablaze before we got there. Jungle justice has no place in the law. Every accused is presumed innocent until proven guilty by the law,” he insisted.
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The police spokesman warned that the command would no longer tolerate such acts, saying that it is better for nine thieves to go unpunished than for one innocent person to be killed in error.
“We have liaised with the state waste management authority to evacuate the remains of the suspects while investigation is ongoing to unravel those behind the act,” he said.
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