The culture of jungle justices reared its head in Warri metropolis yesterday as two suspected armed robbers were set ablaze by an irate mob after an alleged failed attempt to rob a man.
The incident took place at about 10am along the ever-busy airport road, causing a heavy traffic jam while hundreds of people trooped to the scene to catch a glimpse of the unfortunate suspected robbers.
Eye witnesses said the two men had trailed a customer to one of the banks in Warri metropolis and pounced on him immediately he came out of the bank in an attempt to dispossess him of the cash he just withdrew.
The scuffle apparently drew the attention of a bystander who immediately alerted others, resulting in a gathering of neighbours who apprehended the suspected robbers and subsequently beat them into coma before setting them ablaze.
Men of the Nigerian police force arrived the scene of the incident to confront the raging fire burning the suspected criminals by the side of the road.
“The robbers had attempted to snatch one of these bank customer’s money,” one of the witnesses said. “The man said he withdrew a huge sum of money and while he was coming out of the bank to board his car parked along the road, these boys confronted him, trying to dispossess him of the money and he raised an alarm which attracted people in the vicinity”.
The witness said though he was not in support of jungle justice, the rate of criminality in the state now called for any measure that could bring it under control.
“Security has failed in Delta State in particular and Nigeria in general. People no longer sleep with their eyes closed,” he said.
Police Public Relations Officer, Charles Morka, who confirmed the incident on the telephone, explained that the command was not happy about the latest resort to jungle justice in the city.
He urged the residents to allow the law to take its course anytime a suspect is arrested for any crime, adding that “no suspect is found guilty until proven by the court of competence jurisdiction.”
A similar incident happened in Warri last week, as an irate mob set another suspected criminal ablaze after he allegedly snatched a hand bag containing N150 naira from a lady. Witnesses said the suspect was caught while trying to escape around the Igbudu Primary School, near Enerhen Junction in the Warri metropolis. Sources said the suspect was notorious for snatching hand bags and gold earrings and had been terrorizing residents of the 3rd Marine Quarters for some time.