Idara Jerome, Uyo

The Akwa Ibom State Police Command has launched a manhunt for persons allegedly involved in the mob killing of an unidentified man who was beaten and set ablaze after being accused of attempting to steal a motorcycle along the Ikot Ekpene–Uyo Road.

The incident occurred at about 7:05 a.m. on Wednesday at Ikpe Ikot Akpan Village, following an alarm reportedly raised by one Idoroenyin Udo, who allegedly caught the deceased attempting to take his motorcycle.

The Police said preliminary investigation showed that some residents responded to the alarm, chased and apprehended the suspect but allegedly subjected him to mob assault instead of handing him over to law enforcement. He was subsequently set ablaze and died from the attack.

Following the incident, Police operatives were deployed to the scene while detectives commenced investigation into the circumstances surrounding the killing. The Command said efforts were ongoing to identify and arrest all persons connected with the mob action.

The Commissioner of Police, CP Baba Mohammed Azare, condemned the killing and warned residents against taking the law into their own hands, stressing that suspects must be allowed to face due process.

“No individual or group has the right to determine the guilt of a suspect or impose punishment outside the law,” Azare said, urging residents to hand suspected offenders over to the Police for investigation and prosecution.

The Commissioner also warned that jungle justice was “unlawful, dangerous and unacceptable,” noting that mob action could destroy vital evidence, frustrate criminal investigations and lead to the killing of innocent persons.

The Command urged members of the public to report suspected criminal activities promptly rather than resort to violence, assuring that anyone found culpable in the killing would be prosecuted in accordance with the law.