Two suspects, a male and female, have narrowly escaped being lynched by an angry mob that accused them of ritual killings in the Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State.
Police operatives of the State Police Command rescued the suspects, who had been stripped naked by the mob and paraded in a video now trending on the social media.
The suspects allegedly killed three persons for alleged money rituals before they were apprehended by villagers.
The victims were dumped in a wheelbarrow, while the suspects were forced to push it in turns.
However, police in the state faulted the report, saying it was a case of murder, not ritual killing.
According to the state police spokesman, DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, police operatives rushed to the scene immediately they got wind of the development and rescued the suspects.
Speaking in a press statement, Ikenga said: “The Command operatives by 10 am yesterday 7/6/2023 rescued two victims and a suspect who was about to be lynched by an angry mob at the total junction, ihiala.
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“To set the records straight, it is not a case of ritual killing, but a pure incident of murder. Preliminary information reveals that the two culprits a man and a woman who were humiliated and paraded as shown in the video by the angry mob were erroneously accused by the mob as they were seen at the scene where the murder took place.
“Also, both the suspect and victims are currently receiving treatment in the hospital. While the deceased has been deposited in a morgue.”
He added that the state Commissioner of Police, Echeng Echeng, had sued for peace while investigation into the matter had been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Awka, the state capital.