Mob burns kidnappers to death

The Osun State Police Command has warned residents of the state against carrying out jungle justice following the burning to death of three suspected kidnappers in Osogbo on Friday.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the command, Mrs. Folasade Odoro, said this in an interview with our correspondent.

Three suspected kidnappers were set ablaze on Friday in different areas in Osogbo, the state capital.

Odoro said that a suspected kidnapper caught and beaten to a pulp at Alekuwodo area on Thursday eventually died while receiving treatment.

The suspect, who some residents claimed was behaving like a mad man, was allegedly caught with three kids. He was beaten and was about to be set ablaze when some policemen arrived at the scene rescued him. He was said to have eventually died while receiving treatment.

Odoro said, “The suspect was rescued and brought to the police but he gave up the ghost when receiving treatment. The command is warning residents of the state against jungle justice. If anybody is arrested, such should be handed over to the police. Nobody has the right to kill any suspect; it is against the law.”

Some commercial motorcyclists and other youths who caught the suspect claimed that the suspect said that they were 10 kidnappers in Osogbo.

Some of the residents added that the suspects had confessed to them that he had already kidnapped three kids and they were somewhere at Isale Ijebu.

They said that the police men who had rescued the suspect instead of going to the place took the suspect to the command headquarters to cover him.

Osun State Governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, has described the setting ablaze of some suspected kidnappers in Osogbo as shocking.

Aregbesola in a statement issued by his media aide, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, condemned kidnapping as well as jungle justice meted out to the suspects.

It read, “The government wishes to remind all that just as kidnapping and other criminal acts are condemnable, it is equally an unacceptable practice for citizens to take laws into their hands by summarily killing those suspected of any criminal act.

“The good people of Osun are therefore enjoined to be vigilant and only hand over those suspected of crimes to security agencies for appropriate actions.

“The constitutional responsibility of determining the guilt and commensurate punishments of criminal acts lie with the security agencies. It must be stated in clear terms that dire consequences await anyone caught in any act of breaching the peace of the state in the guise of punishing those involved in crimes.”