The Kaduna State Police Command has arrested six suspects over the lynching of two travellers who were mistaken for kidnappers in Gidan Kalu Village, Birnin Yero, a few kilometres from Maraban Jos in Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

The victims, identified as Muhammadu Sani, 45, and Aliyu Mohammed, 40, both from Umar Village in the same LGA(Igabi Local Government Area), were reportedly travelling on a motorcycle to Tudun Wada, Zaria, on July 1 to visit their ailing uncle when the incident occurred.

According to the police, residents became suspicious after seeing the pair riding a new motorcycle and allegedly raised the alarm by shouting “thieves.”

In a statement issued on Tuesday by the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Mansir Hassan, the command said the victims abandoned the motorcycle and fled in fear after the accusation.

The statement added that despite explaining that they were not thieves, and although some members of the mob reportedly knew them, they were chased, attacked and beaten to death.

It read in part, “While passing through Gidan Kalu Village, some unidentified persons allegedly became suspicious after seeing them riding a new motorcycle and began shouting ‘thieves.’

“In fear for their lives, the victims abandoned the motorcycle and fled. They were, however, pursued by an angry mob, brutally attacked and lynched to death despite their explanation that they were not thieves.”

The police said operatives from the Birnin Yero Division responded after receiving the report and arrested six suspects, including one Abdullahi Mukailu Kigo.

According to the command, the suspects have confessed to participating in the attack and are currently in police custody, while efforts are ongoing to arrest other persons involved in the killing.

Reacting to the incident, the Commissioner of Police, Rabiu Muhammad, condemned the mob action, describing it as unlawful and unacceptable.

He vowed that all those involved, regardless of their status, would be arrested and prosecuted.

“The command condemns the incident in the strongest terms. All those found culpable, irrespective of their status, will be arrested and prosecuted in accordance with the law,” the commissioner said.

Muhammad warned residents against taking the law into their own hands, stressing that every suspect is presumed innocent until proven guilty by a competent court.

He urged members of the public to report suspected criminals to the nearest police station or other security agencies instead of resorting to jungle justice.

The incident is the latest in a series of mob attacks in Kaduna State fuelled by false accusations and public suspicion amid rising insecurity.

PUNCH Online reports that only weeks ago, a woman, Ummulkhairi Usman Aliyu, was beaten to death by a mob at Maraban Jos after she was wrongly accused of involvement in kidnapping. The killing sparked widespread outrage across the country, prompting Governor Uba Sani to visit the bereaved family and pledge support, while the police arrested dozens of suspects in connection with the attack.

The latest lynching, which occurred only a few kilometres from the scene of the Maraban Jos incident, has heightened concerns over the persistence of jungle justice despite repeated warnings by security agencies. Rights groups and legal experts have consistently cautioned that such unlawful killings undermine the criminal justice system and often claim the lives of innocent people.

The police have reiterated that allegations of criminality should be reported to security agencies for proper investigation and prosecution rather than handled by angry mobs. (The PUNCH)

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