Bauchi State Police Command has condemned, in strong terms, the mob action met by a suspected motorcycle snatcher in Magama-Gumau, leading to his death.
The Command therefore warned that it will not tolerate any act of jungle justice whereby people take the law into their hands, stressing that anyone caught in such acts will not be spared.
A press release signed by the Command PPRO, SP Ahmed Wakili, made available to journalists in Bauchi on Monday evening contained the following: Operatives attached to Toro Divisional Police Headquarters received a distress call from the Magaman-Gumau Police outstation that a suspected motorcycle thief whose name and address were yet to be known was caught in the act at Magama Weekly Market for stealing a motorcycle.
The suspect was surrounded and beaten to death by an angry mob.
On receipt of the report, a team of police operatives led by the Divisional Crime Officer (DCO) immediately rushed to the scene in a bid to prevent the mob action from degenerating.
However, on arrival at the scene, operatives discovered that the suspect had been set ablaze by the mob. The body of the suspect was rushed to Toro General Hospital, where it was certified dead by a medical doctor.
The commissioner of police, Auwal Musa Mohammed, has ordered a discreet investigation into the matter and the possible arrest of the culprits.
Similarly, the CP frowned at the action of the irate youths, who instead of taking the suspect to the nearest police station for proper investigation and prosecution, beat him to death without any recourse to the law.
Musa Auwal further described the act as barbaric and inimical to the law governing the country and warned Bauchi citizens that the Command, under his stewardship, will not tolerate or allow some recalcitrants in society to take laws into their own hands by killing suspects.
He also warned that nobody has the right to treat a suspect in such a barbaric manner, and it is wrong for anyone to assume the position of a law enforcement agency, adding that suspects apprehended in connection with any crime should be mediately handed over to the police or any law enforcement agencies saddled with the responsibility of investigating and prosecuting such crimes.
The Commissioner of Police appealed to the general public to be calm as the investigation commenced in earnest.
Recall that Tribune Online had earlier broken the story of the mob action that claimed the life of the suspected motorcycle snatcher in Magama-Gumau.
The PPRO further stated that a distress call was received on March 17, 2024, that there was an outbreak of fire in a residence located in the Madina quarters area of Bauchi metropolis.
Upon receiving the distress call, a team of policemen attached to ‘C’ Divisional Police Headquarters rushed to the scene alongside the Federal Fire Service team.
After the incident, two girls, Zainab Bashir Mohammed, 8 years old, and Ummu Salma Bashir Mohammed, 5 years old, were trapped in the fire. As a result, the two siblings were burned beyond recognition by the fire.
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