Mob lynches suspected robber in Edo
The Ogun State Police Command said it had arrested one Mela Samaila, a former security guard at Grace Nations Church, a.k.a Liberation City, for allegedly breaking into the church auditorium and stealing the offering box containing undisclosed amount of money.
DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi, the state Police Public Relations Officer, disclosed this in a statement issued in Abeokuta yesterday.
According to him, the suspect was arrested on January 7 following a distress call received by the police at Ojodu Abiodun Divisional headquarters from security men on duty at the church.
“They said around 4:00a.m., a thief scaled the fence of the church, broke into the main auditorium and made away with the church offering box.
“Upon the distress call, the DPO Ojodu Abiodun Division, CSP Eyitayo Akinluwade, mobilised his patrol team to the scene, combed the area and succeeded in arresting the suspect with the help of the security men of the church and the offering box was recovered from him.
“Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect was once a security man in the church, but was relieved of his duty due to some untowards behaviour,” he said.
MEANWHILE, angry youths, on Wednesday night, lynched a robbery suspect for breaking into a premises along the Holy Rosary Catholic Church Road, in Ugbowo Quarters, Egor Local Government Area of Edo State.
It was gathered that the suspect met his waterloo when youths in the area went after a four-man robbery gang. Luck, however, ran out of one the suspects, as he was found with arms and ammunition when the youth apprehended him.
The suspect, whose identity could not be ascertained, was beaten to a pulp and about to be set ablaze by the angry youths, but was spared following the intervention of a vigilant group.
Nevertheless, all efforts to resuscitate the suspect proved abortive, as he later died following the heavy beating he received from the youth before the arrival of police officers.
Efforts to get the state Police Public Relations Officer, Chidi Nwabuzor’s comment on the incident was unsuccessful, as his telephone number was unavailable at the time of filing this report.
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