The Ondo State government has condemned in strong terms the mob action that led to the death of a 35-year-old driver, Tope Olorunfemi, in the state.
In a statement on Tuesday, the government described the killing of Mr Olorunfemi as a ‘jungle justice’ and vowed that the perpetrators of the dastardly act would be brought to book.
“The attention of the Ondo State Government has been drawn to a disturbing recourse to jungle justice by the public.
“The government condemns in strong terms the incident and said all those found culpable will be made to face the full wrath of law,” Acting Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa said in a statement issued by the state Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Bamidele Ademola-Olateju.
On Monday, an angry mob lynched Mr Olorunfemi to death after he lost control of his car’s wheel, skidded off the road and rammed into a commercial motorcyclist and his passengers in Akure.
The mob then descended on him, alleging that he deliberately killed the bystanders for ritual purposes. His Toyota Camry vehicle was also set ablaze by the irate youths who claimed he was a “Yahoo Boy” aka internet fraudster.
Peoples Gazette learned that his parents who rushed to the scene of the attack watched hopelessly as their son was lynched to death by the mob.
While expressing sadness at the incident, the governor said it was high time the residents of the state trusted in the rule of law, stressing that the state would not condone any form of mob action and hooliganism.
He specifically noted that his government does not “condone criminality in whatever guise” and also does not subscribe to people taking laws into their own hands.
“This is especially true when citizens are attacked, and killed, based on one flimsy excuse or the other, especially on allegations of an Internet scam, laced with ritual killing, commonly referred to as Yahoo Plus.
“It was reported that the quick intervention of law enforcement agents saved the parents of the deceased from suffering the same fate as their son. Sadly, they watched in horror and total helplessness as their son was pummelled to death,” the Ondo governor said.
He added, “The government is saddened by this development and commiserates with all the families that lost their loved ones as a result of this incident while praying for a quick recovery for those that sustained injuries.”
In the meantime, the police in Ondo said it has arrested two suspects in connection with the killing of the victim barely 24 hours after the sad incident.
Funmilayo Odunlami-Omisanya, the spokeswoman for the police in Ondo, who stated this in a short message on Tuesday said the two suspects were nabbed following a discreet investigation.
She added that the one the suspects “an artisan” was nabbed by a crack of detectives.
“Yes, two suspects have been arrested in connection with the case of Jungle Justice in the state,” Mrs Odunlami-Omisanya said.
SOURCE: PEOPLES GAZETTE
