Ibeleme, who begged the mob
not to lynch him, said he was forced into kidnapping because of the harsh
economic condition in the country.
Residents of Odi Olowo in
the Mushin area of Lagos State on Wednesday caught a middle-aged man, Charles
Ibeleme, whom they accused of being a kidnapper.
PUNCH Metro learnt that
Ibeleme was apprehended while allegedly taking away his victim, a child whose
name could not yet be ascertained.
He was thereafter handed
over to policemen from the Olosan division.
An eyewitness, who gave his
name only as Sunmibare, said Ibeleme pleaded with the mob not to lynch him, as
he was only finding a means of survival.
He said, “We caught him in
the afternoon. He was taking a child away from our area. People beat him up and
tore his clothes. The man was afraid that he would be lynched and pleaded that
his life should be spared. He said he was looking for money.
“He explained that the
harsh economy forced him into the act. This got people angry and they would
have killed him, but for the arrival of the policemen.”
Meanwhile, two robbers were
arrested in the Okota area while allegedly going for an operation.
Our correspondent learnt
that the suspects – Emmanuel Johnson and Emmanuel Sunday – were arrested by the
police around Chemist bus stop at about 10pm on Tuesday.
A police source said the
suspects, who rode a motorcycle, were going to attack some people, who were
celebrating sallah in the area when they were arrested.
He said, “The two of them
have no fixed addresses. They came on a motorcycle and they were intercepted at
the bus stop. When we searched them, we found a locally-made pistol with two
cartridges. So, they were arrested. It was at the closing of the sallah holiday
and the suspects said they wanted to hit some targeted places and rob the
residents.”
The Lagos State Police
Public Relations Officer, SP Dolapo Badmos, confirmed the incidents.
She said, “In the Isolo
arrest, the motorcycle was impounded. The case will be transferred to the
Special Anti-Robbery Squad, Ikeja, for further investigation.
“In the Odi Olowo incident,
Ibeleme was mobbed on an allegation of attempted kidnap. The case has been
transferred to the State Department of Criminal Investigation and Intelligence,
Yaba. for further investigation.”
Source: Punch
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