The Anambra state Police Command has rescued and exonerated two suspects accused and paraded naked as ritual killers by villagers in Ihiala, Ihiala local government area of the state.
The suspects, a man and a woman, were seen in a trending video being paraded naked while a male voice running commentary on the video, alleged that the suspects killed three persons in the village for use for money rituals before they were caught.
The corpses of the victims were equally seen in the video as they were dumped in a wheelbarrow while the suspects were caused to push them in turns to an undisclosed destination.
But reacting in a statement, the Police Public Relations Officer in Anambra state Police Command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, said the suspects were erroneously accused by the mob because they were spotted at the scene where the murder took place.
“The Command operatives by 10 am yesterday 7/6/2023 rescued two victims and a suspect who were about to be lynched by an angry mob at the total junction, ihiala. To set the records straight, it is not a case of ritual killing, but a pure incident of murder.
“Preliminary information reveals that the two culprits, a man and a woman, who were humiliated and paraded as shown in the video by the angry mob were erroneously accused by the mob as they were seen at the scene where the murder took place. Also, both the suspect and victims are currently receiving treatment in the hospital while the deceased has been deposited in a morgue.”
According to the PPRO, the Commissioner of Police in the state, Echeng Echeng had called for calm, while the matter had been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Awka for further investigation.
