Panic in Delta as angry mob kills two suspected kidnappers

The Delta State Police Command has assured residents of Mosogar and Oghara communities in Ethiope West Local Government Area that a comprehensive investigation is underway following the mob killing of two youths accused of kidnapping.  

Reports indicate that last Thursday, an enraged mob in Mosogar apprehended the two suspects, subjected them to a brutal assault, and later set them ablaze.

Speaking to journalists in Warri on Wednesday, the Police Public Relations Officer for the Delta Command, SP Bright Edafe, confirmed the incident and reiterated the commitment of law enforcement to uncover the circumstances surrounding the tragic event.

Edafe said, “The police are on the trail of the vigilante leader and the community leader who masterminded the mob action.

“Some lawless vigilante personnel from Mosogar had gone to a community in Oghara and abducted three persons, claiming they were kidnappers, but one of the boys escaped and was rescued after running to a nearby police station. An angry mob in Mosogar overpowered the vigilante and set ablaze the other two persons.”

“We are currently on the trail of the vigilante leader as well as the community leader who masterminded that act to see that they are brought to justice. We are using this opportunity to call on residents in the area to remain calm and guarantee them that justice must be served.”

Meanwhile, the Oghara Elite Forum, a socio-cultural organisation in Delta State strongly condemned the extra-judicial killings, calling for the swift intervention of security agencies “to avert a possible breakdown of law and order between the Oghara and nearby Mosogar Kingdoms.”

The group urged the Chairman of Ethiope West Local Government Area, Christian Onogba, “to quickly set machinery in motion and judiciously revisit the matter to calm already frayed nerves.”

In a statement signed by its President-General, Jacob Ighere, following an extraordinary meeting in Oghara, the OEF maintained that “the manner Mosogar youths raided Ijomi community in Oghara Kingdom, forcefully whisked the deceased suspects to Mosogar, and allegedly slaughtered them extra-judiciously was condemnable.”

Warning against escalation, the Forum stated, “Communal war could leave in its wake more losses of lives and properties.”

The group appealed to the Delta State Commissioner of Police and relevant state peace and conflict resolution agencies to “ensure justice in the matter without delay before it snowballs into communal war.”

While calling for calm, the OEF also “enjoined the royal fathers of Oghara and Mosogar Kingdoms to convene town hall meetings to calm frayed nerves.”