A yet-to-be-identified civilian was brutally beaten to death and set ablaze by a mob in Ilisha-Remo, located in Ikenne Local Government Area of Ogun State. The tragic incident, which occurred on Tuesday, also saw a soldier being stabbed by the group of enraged commercial motorcyclists, commonly known as Okada riders.
According to reports, the violence erupted after the motorcyclists accused the two men of stealing motorcycles. The Okada riders, particularly those of northern origin, had reportedly suffered numerous bike thefts in the community.
Eyewitnesses reported that the mob apprehended the two suspects, with one being clubbed to death and the other, a soldier, sustaining serious stab wounds. The soldier, dressed in his military uniform, managed to escape into a nearby building after the attack.
Despite the soldier’s escape, the mob, determined to exact justice, set the deceased man’s body on fire and continued to search for the soldier, demanding that he be handed over to face the same fate.
A large contingent of soldiers and police officers was deployed to the scene to restore order, but their arrival only escalated the chaos, plunging the community into further turmoil.
One resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, expressed concern over the rising cases of jungle justice in the area. “Some of these people have lost their motorcycles to thieves recently, but the right thing to do is to follow the law,” the resident said. “It is wrong for them to insist on carrying out jungle justice. This is similar to an incident three years ago when they nearly burned down the police station because they wanted to kill two suspected bike thieves being held in custody at Ilisan police station.”
He added, “Today, they have killed one suspect, and we hear that the one in army uniform who escaped into a building might not survive because he was badly wounded with a knife. This can’t continue, it’s wrong.”
In a statement, the Chairman of Ilisan Development Association, Otunba Wemmy Osude, confirmed the incident, saying, “One of the suspects was caught by a mob and tragically set on fire. The other suspect, who was dressed in an army uniform, sought refuge in a nearby house. A large crowd of over 200 young northerners gathered outside the house, demanding the release of the suspect. Despite efforts to disperse the mob, they remained defiant. The situation intensified until the Army intervened with a commando-style rescue operation, successfully evacuating the suspect.”
The Spokesman of the Nigerian Army 35 Artillery Brigade, Alamala, Abeokuta, Captain Idereghi Akari, also confirmed the incident on Wednesday but refrained from providing further details. “The soldier is not a thief. The deceased person is a civilian,” he stated.
