By Safiu Kehinde
A suspected kidnapper had a close shave with death after being set ablaze by angry mob following his foiled attempt to kidnap a baby at Olusosun, Ikeja axis of Lagos, on Sunday.
With his skin scalded and face bruised, the middle-aged suspect was spared from breathing his last following a quick intervention of policemen attached to the Alausa Division, Ikeja.
According to an eye witness account, the suspect was caught in his attempt to kidnap a baby at a white garment church situated along Olusosun area. He had reportedly made two previous attempts at two undisclosed locations before meeting his waterloo.
“Before he got caught here, some people had seen him at two different locations acting suspicious,” the eye witness said.
Also giving her account, a petty trader narrated how she saw the culprit changing his clothes beside her shop before walking into the white garment church.
She said, “I saw him right here changing his clothes. I never suspected his evil motive until I overheard people saying they saw him attempting to kidnap a child.”
Meanwhile, the quick arrival of policemen at the scene saw the suspect apprehended, halting the jungle justice melted on him by the mob. He was then whisked away in a patrol van, having suffered a good degree of burn which had not only scalded his skin, but also severed his manhood.
In an effort to interrogate the suspect, Blackbox Nigeria correspondent visited Alausa Police Station. But the suspect, according to a Superintendent Police Officer, was still receiving treatment as at the time of filing this report.
The Superintendent, whose name is undisclosed, however condemned jungle justice on suspects. According to him, it hinders the investigative process and also delay interrogation of suspect.
Another officer at the station decried the manner at which people resort to jungle justice when a suspect is being caught.
“We are all humans and I don’t see why we should melt such inhumane treatment on fellow human being like us,” the officer said.
