The Police Command in Ebonyi says it has rescued a woman from being lynched by a mob over allegations that she abducted three children in Abakaliki.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, SP Joshua Ukandu, disclosed this in a statement issued on Monday in Abakaliki.
Ukandu said the incident occurred on June 21 at the poultry section of the International Market, Abakaliki, following a distress call received by the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of the Central Police Station.
According to him, a concerned citizen alerted the police that a woman was about to be attacked by an angry mob after being accused of abducting three children found in her company.
“The DPO immediately led a team to the scene, where officers encountered a mob armed with weapons attacking the woman.
“She was rescued and taken to the station for safety and questioning,” Ukandu said.
The police spokesperson said that during interrogation, the woman identified herself and explained that the children belonged to her tenant, Mrs Chinyere Okwuchukwu.
He said the woman told investigators that the tenant worked for her at a piggery and that she had volunteered to assist in caring for the children while their mother attended to her duties.
The PPRO explained that the woman had taken the children to the market when another woman questioned her relationship with them because they did not resemble her.
“Before she could explain, the woman raised a false alarm, which led to the mob action,” he said.
The Police spokesperson said preliminary investigations led officers to the residence of the victim, where Okwuchukwu confirmed that the children were hers and that she was aware the woman had gone to the market with them.
The statement quoted the Commissioner of Police in the state, CP Hope Okafor, as condemning the attack and reiterated the command’s zero tolerance for jungle justice.
“This incident demonstrates how an innocent person could have been killed due to false allegations,” the commissioner said.
She urged residents to report suspected crimes and suspicious activities to the nearest police station rather than taking the law into their own hands.
Okafor also appealed to members of the public to make use of the command’s control room number, 07064515001, for prompt police intervention whenever necessary.
