Operatives of the Anambra State Police Command on Wednesday rescued two persons accused of ritual killings from a mob in the Ihiala Local Government Area of the state.
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The suspects, a male and female, were stripped naked by the mob in a trending video on social media.
A man filming the incident said the suspects had killed three persons with the intention to use them for money rituals before they were caught by villagers.
In the video being circulated, the corpse of the victims were lumped in a wheelbarrow, while the suspects were made to push them in turns.
But the state police command in a press release by its spokesperson, DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, said the matter was a case of murder, and not connected with ritual killings.
Ikenga said the men of the command, upon getting information of the public parade of the culprits, quickly moved in and rescued them.
He said the deceased have been deposited in a morgue, while the living among the victims are receiving treatment in an undisclosed hospital.
“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.
“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 said.
Ikenga quoted the Commissioner of Police, CP Echeng Echeng, as calling for calm, while the matter had been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Awka, for a comprehensive investigation.
