Police arrest two for ‘stoning motorist to death’ in Ondo

The police command in Ondo, says it has arrested two suspects who allegedly stoned Olorunfemi Tope, a motorist, to death. 

Olufunmilayo Odunlami-Omisanya, the spokesperson of the command, confirmed this to TheCable on Tuesday.

“Yes, two suspects were arrested by our detectives. They are in our custody.”

The spokesperson said the two were involved in the jungle justice meted to Tope on Ijoka road in Akure, the state capital.

He said that the suspects would be charged with murder and arson, appealing to members of the public to abstain from taking laws into their hands.

“As of now, no one can confirm if the dead young man in question was an internet fraudster,” he said on a radio programme in Akure. 

“Rather than people around to have helped when the accident happened, some resolved to jungle justice by killing the young man and setting his car ablaze.

“We need to refrain from engaging in jungle justice, shun hearsay and report any incident to the nearby police station, so there will be peace in our community.”

When TheCable asked for more information on how and when the arrest took place. The spokesperson said: “Keeping it for now”.

TheCable had reported that an angry mob stoned a driver to death over an accident that killed two persons and left six others injured.

The driver was said to have rammed into about five motorcycles carrying passengers.

A source, who witnessed the incident said the driver initially made attempt to escape after the accident. 

“The driver of the Toyota car, who did not sustain any injury, was trying to escape from the scene before he was caught by some youths and beaten into a coma,” the source said.

“The mob did not spear the man’s life, as he was beaten and stoned to death, while his vehicle was also set ablaze by the angry mob.”