Police arrest two over mob lynching of suspected criminals in Anambra

The Anambra State Police Command has arrested two persons involved in a recent lynching of suspected criminals in the state.

Recall that an angry mob lynched two suspects, Chinedu and Omama, said to be brothers, at Onitsha Main Market on November 1.

Spokesperson of the command, DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, disclosed this in a statement on Friday, November 17, 2023.

He quoted the State Commissioner of Police, CP Aderemi Adeoye, as saying that the command would no longer condone situations when people engage in jungle justice by lynching suspects to death without trial.

The CP cautioned residents against taking laws into their own hands by engaging in jungle justice, adding that perpetrators would be charged with murder.

Adeoye described any mob lynching of crime suspects as bestial and worse than their victims.

The PPRO said two suspects have been arrested for involvement in a recent mob lynching that resulted in the death of suspected criminals.

“Someone steals a phone and a mob kills him. The sentence for stealing a phone is three years imprisonment,” he said.

"Those who lynch commit murder which carries the death penalty because the Courts have not delegated anyone outside the Judiciary to try, convict, and execute suspects,” he said.

Adeoye commended Anambra residents for their eternal vigilance and cooperation for peace and security in the state but enjoined them to report every criminal matter to the Police.

"If they do not get justice, they should contact my office directly. I assure the people of Anambra that the Command will always be alive to its responsibility in maintaining law and order. Recourse to self-help is not necessary and it will not be tolerated,” he added.