Self-help, jungle justice, mob action or whatever name it is called has always been proved to be counterproductive. ISAIAH BENJAMIN writes on a recent one that occurred in Kaduna
Fate sometimes has its peculiar way of treating people, good or bad, most often than none, some of the good deeds done by humans to their fellow humans come back to pay them either in kind or the opposite.
In Kaduna State, cases of jungle justice are not common, but the one of Monday 20 May, 2019 has continued to throw up controversies, while the mob who carried out the act were said to have acted on false alarm raised by someone believed to be in the run to elude arrest.
Without any concrete incident, the mob had taken the laws into their hands, thereby causing panic that even led to the death of other innocent people following police efforts to disperse the rowdy crowd.
The four victims, who are yet to be identified including the deceased, had left Lagos in pursuit of a friend who attempted to evade arrest having put pen on paper based on trust to save him from a debt distress.
Alhaji Musa who deals in oil business, according to findings and report by the Kaduna State Police Command, had a problem with one of his business partners who reported the matter to Lagos State Police command. He was invited and later detained.
His friends had gone to secure his bail and he was subsequently released to them and they became surety, after appearing to the police, Musa reportedly disappeared.
Consequently, his friends were later invited and asked to produce him, a situation that left them with no other choice but to trace him to Kaduna. They had told the police that they knew his residence in Kaduna, and they promised to take them there, unfortunately fate turned against them as their adventure to Kaduna to fish out their friend turned out to be an ill-fated one.
“When they arrived at Kaduna, they went straight to his house while the police waited at a distance. When Musa sighted them and sensed their mission, he quickly jumped into his car and speeds off’’, Police PPRO Kaduna State Command, Yakubu Sabo, said in a statement.
“The Surety followed him in their own car and blocked him before Kawo Flyover Bridge, he jumped out of his car and raised false alarm that people running after him were kidnappers. It was then that the mob descended on the sureties believing that they were kidnappers.
“When we got the distress call, we moved straight to the spot, we were able to rescue three sureties but the driver was burnt alongside the vehicle. In the process the suspect, Alhaji Musa, escaped and we are doing everything now to track him down”, he told journalists.
Weekend LEADERSHIP recalled the news of a suspected kidnapper that was caught and served the street justice by an angry mob in Kaduna last week.
Weekend LEADERSHIP also reported that the mob in Kawo area of Kaduna North local government area of Kaduna State following the alarm later discovered to be false had set ablaze a driver alongside a Toyota Siena which some people from Lagos came with to trace one Alhaji Musa.
The said Alhaji Musa, it was gathered, had called the attention of residents of the community that some suspected kidnappers were about to abduct some people in Sabon Kawo. The people upon such information immediately blocked ways leading in and out of the area.
The angry residents then let loose and chased the fleeing suspects, apprehended two among them and one was eventually set ablaze with tyres. He was later dumped in the Siena vehicle that was already in flame.
An eyewitness, Sadi Dauda, in an interview told journalists that, “I sighted a large crowd from far and I immediately rushed down. I gathered that some suspected kidnappers numbering about three were operating in Sabon Kawo and immediately blocked the roads.
“They chased down the suspected kidnappers and killed one of them, while the other one fled the scene. Immediately police got to the scene, they started shooting sporadically to scare away people and they shoot an innocent person dead. They shot four people in the process one is dead and the remaining three are in Kawo General Hospital.
“Now the residents are protesting that the suspected kidnappers in their custody be released so that they can do instant justice. They said they won’t leave unless he is released.
“Police upon receiving information that there was chaos in the area immediately mobilized to the area and in an attempt to disperse the mobs and rescue the other kidnap suspects, shot sporadically into the crowd and mistakenly killed one person, leaving three others injured.
“This is why angry youths of the area also protested against the police for allegedly killing a soap seller who was among those chasing the suspected kidnappers. The protesters who were saying (Bazaamu Yarda Ba) meaning “we won’t take this from the police” were seen burning tyres while they barricaded the highway leading from Kaduna to Zaria and Birnin-Gwari preventing human and vehicular movement, insisting that the other suspected kidnappers in police custody be released to them, while also demanding justice for the soap seller killed by the police.”
But the Kaduna State Police Command gave a different version of the situation, first by condemning the actions of the mob who it said took the laws into their hands and vowed to deal decisively with any culprit.
The state PPRO, Yakubu Sabo, said the mob reacted over the false alarm raised by one Alhaji Musa leading to their action without any evidence.
The PPRO explained that, the said Musa who deals in oil business had a problem with one of his business partners who reported the matter to Lagos State Police command; he was invited and later detained.
“From information available to us his friend went to secure his bail and he was released to them and they became surety, after appearing to the police he disappeared.
“The surety were later invited and asked to produce him, it was then that the surety told the police that they knew his residence in Kaduna, and they promised to take the police there.
Sabo added that three people were killed in the unfortunate incident but the situation in Kawo is calm and under control while the three surety are under police protection.
He, however, vowed that the police would track down the fleeing Musa.
He later disclosed that five of the suspected members of the mob who partook in action alongside the main suspect, Musa, have been arrested, adding that more intelligence gathering was being carried out to ensure more arrests were made.
He also confirmed those arrested adding that more might be arrested upon completion of necessary investigation.
He said the arrested suspects would be charged to court for prosecution according to the law, while calling on all and sundry to desist from taking laws into their hands but make information available to the police or any security agencies in the case of any foreseen situation for immediate actions.
It is therefore imperative that taking laws into one’s hands not minding the gravity of the offence is in itself an offence under the law and whoever is found guilty will certainly be made to face the full wrath of the law.
Alhaji Musa Ibrahim Imam, the businessman at the centre of the commotion, has refuted the claim by police that he raised a false alarm which led to the milieu.
Imam, who spoke through his lawyer, Mohammed T. Mohammed, in Kaduna said he did not raise any alarm nor scream but that it was the manner he was forcefully taken into a vehicle by some men he had never seen while conveying his children to school that made bystanders and other passers-by to conclude that he was being kidnapped and tried to intervene.
The counsel who briefed reporters in his office in Kaduna said the police narrative that also claimed that Imam was driving when he suddenly came out of his vehicle and started screaming was not true.
Imam said the background to what led the commotion at the Kawu Flyover was that Musa who deals in petroleum products paid some money to be supplied petroleum products.
“A lot of money was paid by Musa Imam for over 10 trucks. Seven trucks were released to him, there are some of his business partners in Lagos that gave him money to be paid and so those trucks have not been delivered to him. It is not as if he is indebted, he does not owe anybody and nobody owes him but that money has been paid to the Federal Government and he is awaiting delivery of the fuel.
“But of course you know some businessmen when their money gets hooked they put pressure on you, for you to be able to return the money to them. Mind you, the money has been paid to the Federal Government. Some don’t have the patience to wait for the petroleum product to be delivered to them, so they went to the police in Lagos and the police insisted that that money, which is about N5 million, must be paid to these men by Alhaji Musa, though we have documents to show that that money has been paid to the NNPC account and that Alhaji Musa is awaiting for the fuel to be supplied,” he explained.
The counsel further said Musa agreed to pay the money at an agreed time but was not able to do so, so he sent his lawyer to Lagos to go and ask for more time.
He said, “The lawyer went to Lagos on Friday; unknown to him the police was planning to pick him in Kaduna on Sunday. So they came to Kaduna on Sunday and on Monday they went to make an attempt and when they went to pick him and was trailed to where he went to pick his children from school in Kawo extension.”
He informed that if his client were not granted bail, they would be left with no option but to seek legal redress.
Mr. Anthony N Z Sani who is the Secretary of the Apex northern sociocultural group, Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) who reacted in his personal capacity condemned the act and opined that the police needed to do more in the discharge of their duties.
He said, “Because of inadequate number of trained and equipped police personnel, they are unable to police and provide security for most Nigerians. As a result, some people are resorting to mob actions as form of self protection.
“In order to curb such tendencies among Nigerians, it is important for the authority to provide enough number of trained and well equipped police personnel who can police and protect lives and properties of most Nigerians.”
A resident of Rigachukwu in Igabi local government area of Kaduna State, Alhaji Suleiman Abdullahi, also condemned in strong terms the action of the mobs.
“The act is not only condemnable but devilish and against the tenets of Islam. The religion of the majority of those that might have taken part in that action forbids such action which is inimical to peace and justice. Religious and traditional leaders must rise up against such occurrence which is capable of bringing about reprisal which could lead to death of innocent people as was witnessed during the mob action.
“People should not take laws into their hands but must allow the law to take its course. The police also need to be professional in their work, for their action to also lead to another loss of live is equally condemnable. Those that carried out the mob action acted on false information.”
Also condemning the mob action, the Secretary of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) Kaduna State Chapter, Alhaji Yusuf Nda Ibrahim, said the action of the boys who are always ready tools for any action at the Kawo flyover is really worrisome and calls for serious action by relevant government and security agencies to forestall a recurrence.
He said the news went round Kaduna metropolis like a wild fire that kidnappers had entered the town and created such of tension.
“We have come to realise that most of the crisis in Kaduna is mostly as a result of rumour and false information. The deaths that occurred that day would have been avoidable if the boys had allowed the security agencies to do their work. The security agencies must be proactive too because if they were, the situation would not have degenerated to that extent. The youths need jobs to be engaged because most of those who gathered around the flyover have nothing tangible doing and could be used to do anything.”
Mr. Anthony N Z Sani who is the Secretary of the Apex northern socio-cultural group, Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) who reacted in his personal capacity condemned the act and opinned that the police needed to do more in the discharge of their duties. “Because of inadequate number of trained and equipped police personnel,they are unable to police and provide security for most Nigerians.As a result, some people are resorting to mob actions as form of self protection.
In order to curb such tendencies among Nigerians,it is important for the authority to provide enough number of trained and well equipped police personnel who can police and protect lives and properties of most Nigerians”.
A resident of Rigachukwu in Igabi local government area of Kaduna State, Alhaji Suleiman Abdullahi in his own reaction condemned in strong terms the action of the mobs. “The act is not only condemnable but devilish and against the tenets of Islam. The religion that majority of those that may have taken part in that action forbids such action which is enimical to peace and justice. Religious and traditional leaders must rise up against such occurrence which is capable of bringing about reprisal which could lead to death of innocent people as was witnessed during the mob action. People should not take laws into their hands but must allow the law to take its course. The police also need to be professional in their works, for their action to also lead to another loss of live is equally condemnable. Those that carried out the mob action acted on false information”.
Also condemning the mob action, the Secretary of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) Kaduna State Chapter, Alhaji Yusuf Nda Ibrahim said the action of the boys who are always ready tools for any action at the Kawo flyover is really worrisome and calls for serious action by relevant government and security agencies to for-stall a recurrence. He said the news went round Kaduna metropolis like a wide fire that kidnappers have entered the town and created soych of tension. “ We have come to realise that most of the crisis in Kaduna is mostly as a result of rumour and false information, the deaths that occurred that day would have been avoidable if the boys had allowed the security agencies to do their work. The security must be proactive too because if they were, the situation would have degenerated to that extent. The youths need jobs to be engaged because most of those who gathered around the flyover has nothing tangible doing and could be used to do anything”.
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