Jungle justice: Irate mob beat kidnap suspect to death in Ekiti

An angry mob has beaten up a middle-aged man to death after he was accused of trying to kidnap a seven-year-old boy in Omuo Ekiti, headquarters of Ekiti East Local Government area of Ekiti State.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that a source in the community alleged that the deceased man trailed the boy while he was returning home from a school programme and dragged him to a nearby bush.

An alarm was reportedly raised and angry residents were said to have attacked the suspect and beat him to death.

The source added that the incident occurred a few minutes after 2 pm when the pupils were returning from a school programme.

“The suspect was trailing the boy home from school. When he realised that he had reached a bushy footpath, he pounced on him and started dragging him into the bush,” he said.

“But a man who was looking from afar raised the alarm, and the people caught him in the act and beat him.”

Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the Command, Sunday Abutu, confirmed the incident.

Abutu said the man died immediately he got to the police station.

He said it was one of the chiefs at Iludofin quarters that reported the case to the police, and his men acted promptly.

The PPRO said, “The mob action was very thick, but the police tried and rescued him, and the intention was to first take him to the station for cover before rushing him to the hospital for medical attention.

“Unfortunately, he died in the station as a result of the severe beating.”

He said the corpse of the deceased had since been deposited in the morgue at the General Hospital, Omui Ekiti, while an investigation into the matter had commenced.