The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, has ordered an extensive manhunt for the killers of three policemen in Lagos and Edo States within the span of one week. The IGP has vowed to ensure that the perpetrators face justice and has emphasized a crackdown on acts of jungle justice, which resulted in the tragic deaths of the officers.
One of the victims, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Augustine Osupayi, was killed on Saturday by a mob in Agege, Lagos State. The attack occurred while a police team attempted to rescue a driver accused of knocking down a motorcycle rider. Despite the police’s intervention, the mob turned violent, leading to the death of ASP Osupayi.
In a separate incident in Edo State, a policeman was killed by gunmen at a quarry site in Ihivbe-Ogben, Owan East Local Government Area, on Thursday. This attack followed an earlier case in which angry residents of Edo State razed a police station, killed an officer, and set suspects ablaze in an act of retaliation against the police for allegedly detaining suspected criminals.
Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, condemned the incidents in a statement, calling the mob actions a “betrayal of justice and due process.”
“The Nigeria Police Force condemns the act of arson which led to the burning of some suspects in police custody and the subsequent setting ablaze of police barracks, patrol vans, and the Divisional Police Station in Agenebode, Edo State,” said Adejobi.
He also emphasized that the erroneous perception of the public regarding the police’s intentions was unjustified. “The police never intended to pervert justice in the case. They arrested additional suspects through painstaking investigation, but the community members wrongly believed the police would set the suspects free.”
The IGP sympathized with the families of the fallen officers and ordered the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) to thoroughly investigate the incidents. He urged the public to refrain from engaging in jungle justice, warning that it destabilizes public safety and undermines the rule of law.
“The acts of jungle justice are criminal, illogical, and unjustifiable, regardless of the grievances involved,” added Adejobi.
Meanwhile, the police continue their investigations, and efforts are ongoing to bring those responsible for the attacks to justice.
