Ondo police arrest two suspects for allegedly stoning driver to death

Govt warns against jungle justice

Ondo State Police Command has arrested two suspects, who were allegedly part of the mob that stoned a 35-year-old driver, Olorunfemi Tope, to death, on Monday in Akure.

The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Olufumilayo Odunlami-Omisanya, who disclosed this, yesterday, identified the suspects as an artisan and a trader.

On Easter Monday, a mob beat and stoned the deceased to death, after crushing some road users to death and injuring six others, over alleged reckless driving.

After killing the deceased driver, his car, a Toyota Camry (muscle), was also set ablaze by the irate mob in the presence of his wailing parents.

According to the PPRO, one of the suspects allegedly masterminded the burning of the deceased car.
Odunlami-Omisanya, who said the suspects would be charged to court for murder and arson, appealed to members of the public not to take laws into their own hands.

She said: “We need to refrain from engaging in jungle justice, shun hearsay, and report any incident to the nearby police station, so that there will be peace in our community.”

Meanwhile, the state government has cautioned against jungle justice among residents in the state, adding that those found culpable will be dealt with according to the law.

The state’s acting Governor, Lucky Ayedatiwa, in a statement, by the Commissioner for Information, Bamidele Ademola-Olateju, expressed shock over the mob action that led to Tope’s death

“The attention of Ondo State Government has been drawn to a disturbing recourse to jungle justice by the public. This is especially true when citizens are attacked, and killed, based on one flimsy excuse or the other, especially on allegations of Internet scam, laced with ritual killing, commonly referred to as Yahoo Plus.

“The government condemns in strong terms the incident and said all those found culpable will be made to face the full wrath of law. While government does not condone criminality in whatever guise, it also does not subscribe to people taking laws into their own hands.

“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 pummeled to death,” the statement added.