The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has condemned the act of jungle justice by a mob that assaulted a young lady accused of stealing a two-year-old child in Giri-Kpasere in the Gwagwalada Area Council.
The woman, whose identity is yet to be ascertained, was b£aten and partially str!pped by a mob for allegedly attempting to steal the child.
A resident of Giri-Kpasere, Danlami Habila, who spoke to Daily Trust on Thursday said the incident happened on Saturday, October 11, around 5:12 pm.
According to him, the lady, who was wearing a shirt and jeans trousers, was caught by the roadside with a crying child, waiting to board a vehicle.
Habila added that some passersby who identified the child became suspicious.
He explained that one of the passersby suddenly stopped after discovering the child was crying. The man called the child’s name, and the child immediately responded.
Habila said that, at that moment, the lady immediately placed the child on her back and covered him with a wrapper/cloth, a situation which prompted the man to begin questioning the lady about how she came to have the child.
"So, as the man who identified the child now called the child’s name and he answered, the child started crying, which prompted the man to suspect that the lady must have stolen the child, and she was arrested on the spot,” he said.
He said after the man raised an alarm, the attention of some youth around the area was attracted. They immediately started b3ating the suspect and almost str!pped her completely n@ked.
“In fact, there were some people who first saw the lady walking with the child and making frantic phone calls by the roadside, trying to stop a vehicle, but as nemesis would have it, she could not get a vehicle,” he added.
Habila said that some residents who rushed to the scene also identified the child and immediately alerted the child’s mother, who later arrived at the scene.
According to him, the child was immediately retrieved from the lady, after which the mob continued to beat her.
He added that some elders of the community who got wind of the incident quickly rushed to the scene and rescued the lady.
He said the lady was later handed over to the police in the area.
Reacting to the incident, the spokesperson of the command, SP Josephine Adeh, said the suspect, who was being severely beaten by the crowd, was promptly rescued by police patrol officers from Tungan Maje Division to prevent further escalation.
She, however, disclosed that the command has commenced a discreet investigation into the alleged child theft and will ensure that justice is served in accordance with the law.
Adeh further warned that the police will not hesitate to arrest and prosecute anyone involved in mob attacks, noting that such actions undermine the rule of law and ongoing efforts to ensure peace and security in the FCT.
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