February 13, (THEWILL) – Angry youth on Saturday stormed the police station at Oja Odan in Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun state, killing and setting ablaze corpses of two suspected ritualists.
The two ritualists were said to have been brought to the police station by some vigilante and law-abiding members of the public for being in possession of fresh human head.
While the suspects were being interrogated on the human head concealed in a sack, some angry youth went ahead to mobilize people, stormed the station and overpower the officers.
They immediately dragged out the two suspects, beat them mercilessly to death before setting their corpses ablaze.
The Public Public Relations Officer, DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi confirmed the incident to newsmen in a statement in Abeokuta on Saturday.
Oyeyemi who condemned the jungle justice act on the suspects, said that the command would not fold its arm and watch the public take laws into their hands.
He, therefore, sounded a note of warning to members of the public to desist from such behavior as the command would henceforth deal decisively with whoever carried out such action again.
The police PRO explained that a suspect remains a suspect until he or she has been convicted by a court of competent jurisdiction no matter how grievous the person might have committed.
He added that only the court that has the power to impose punishment on anyone found guilty of a crime, not an individual or group of people, insisting that jungle justice has no place in the law.
Oyeyemi said “following an unlawful killing and setting ablaze of two suspected ritualists in oja odan area of Ogun state on Saturday 12th of February 2022, the Ogun state police command wishes to warn the general public that such barbaric and unlawful action will no longer be tolerated.”
“In the early hours of Saturday 12th of February 2022, two suspected ritualists were arrested and brought to Oja odan divisional headquarters by some vigilant and law-abiding members of the public, with allegation that a fresh human head concealed in a sack was seen with them.
“While the suspects were been interrogated in the station, some unscrupulous elements went and mobilized large number of people who invaded the station aggressively, overwhelmed the police personnel on duty and subsequently hijacked the suspects, beaten them to death and set their corpses ablaze.”
“In view of the incident, the command wishes to sound a note of warning to those who are always in the habit of taking laws into their hands to desist from such uncivilized behavior as the command will henceforth be dealing with whoever carried out such action in the most decisive manner.
“A suspect remains a suspect until he/she is convicted by a court of competent jurisdiction no matter how grievous the crime he suspected to have committed might be. It is only the court that has the power to impose punishment on anyone found guilty of a crime, not an individual or group of people.”
Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police CP Lanre Bankole has ordered a full-scale investigation into the incident with the view to bring to justice those who participated in carrying out the barbaric and unlawful killing of the suspects.
He appealed to members of the public to have confidence in the nation criminal justice system and desist from self help as such is alien to the law of the land.
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