Police confirm recovery of body of jungle justice victim

The Lagos State Police Command may have finally brought to a conclusion, the brutal jungle justice case in which an alleged suspected thief was

A statement from the Command said the charred remains of the robbery suspect who was burnt to death by a mob in the Orile area of the state has been recovered, therefore, bringing an end to the saga that brought up many angles with many reports saying he was a seven-year-old boy caught while attempting to steal Garri.

ALSO READ: "Jungle Justice: 7-yr-old boy allegedly burnt to death for stealing 'Garri' in Lagos (Graphic Photo)"

The Commissioner of Police in the state, CP Fatai Owoseni, while confirming the recovery, said the suspect was believed to be between 20 and 25 year old, and not a seven-year-old boy as reported on the social media.

The CP added that it was wrong for Nigerians to put the blame for the incident on the police as some members of the gang had been previously arrested, arraigned in court, but released on bail.

“In the course of the police investigation, it was discovered that the fellow that was lynched in the video was an adult.

The police found his decomposing body in a canal somewhere in the Orile area. He was an adult of between 20 and 25 years.

The state Emergency Management Agency was contacted to remove the corpse. Our inquiries revealed that he and two members of his gang had attacked a victim with a machete in order to snatch his wallet and mobile phone.

It was also found out that his gang members had been operating in the area for a while. Some of the gang members had, at one time or the other, been arraigned in court and through the judicial process of securing bail, found themselves out again.

During this particular incident, the mob collected the machete from the suspect and attacked him.

In as much as we condemn all acts of impunity and people taking laws into their hands, you will agree that what happened was a societal problem.

It would not be charitable to put the blame on the police. It is a menace that all of us should fight. The police will continue to make arrests when crimes are committed.”

ALSO READ: "Jungle Justice: Police refute claims of 7-yr-old boy lynched for stealing garri"

Meanwhile, the National Assembly is on the verge of enacting a law prohibiting jungle justice in the country while recommending stiff sentences for anyone caught perpetrating the act.