The
Anambra State Police Command says it has rescued two persons accused of ritual
killing by an irate mob in Ihiala Local Government Area of the state from being
lynched to death.
A man and a woman were being paraded naked by members of the
community as they carried the corpses of the victims they were accused of
killing in a wheelbarrow around the area.
A large crowd were seen following and flogging the suspects.
In a trending video circulating on social media, a voice
narrated that the suspects allegedly killed three persons with the intention of
using them for money rituals, before they were caught by the villagers.
But reacting to the development on Thursday, the Anambra State police
spokesman, DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, said the incident was not connected to ritual
killing but a case of murder.
Ikenga said the suspects, who were humiliated and paraded as
shown in the video by the angry mob, were erroneously accused of the killing
because they were seen at the scene where the murder took place.
He added that security operatives, acting upon information,
quickly stormed the area and rescued the man and woman while the deceased were
deposited in a morgue.
He
said the Commissioner of Police, CP Echeng Echeng, while reacting to the
incident sued for calm and ordered the immediate transfer of the case to the
State Criminal Investigation Department, Awka for a comprehensive
investigation.
He said, “The Command operatives by 10 am Wednesday, rescued two
victims who were about to be lynched by an angry mob at the Total Junction,
Ihiala LGA.
“To set the records straight, it is not a case of ritual
killing, but a pure incident of murder. Preliminary information revealed that
the two victims, a man and a woman, who were humiliated and paraded as shown in
the video by the angry mob were erroneously accused by the mob as they were
seen at the scene where the murder took place.
“Also, a suspect has been arrested in connection with the murder
while the victims(man and woman) are currently receiving treatment in the
hospital. The deceased has been deposited in a morgue. Further developments
shall be communicated, please.”
Post a Comment