The Niger State Police Command has recovered three AK-47 rifles, six magazines, and 104 rounds of ammunition from a sack belonging to two motorcycle accident victims who were later lynched by a mob in Suleja.
The incident occurred on Tuesday when two persons riding a motorcycle from Tafa area of Kaduna State heading towards Abuja ran into a road construction barrier and were involved in a lone accident.
Police spokesman Wasiu Abiodun confirmed the incident in a statement on Thursday, explaining that a police patrol team conducting stop-and-search along Boyi-Sarki/Toll gate area received a distress call and rushed to the scene.
“The patrol team moved to the scene, while some other persons also rushed to the accident scene to assist. On getting to the location, a sack was recovered from the accident victims. When searched, three AK-47 rifles with six magazines and 104 ammunition were found in the bag belonging to the accident victims (suspects),” Abiodun said.
One of the accident victims died on the spot, and during efforts to rescue the second person to the hospital, he was lynched by the mob to death. The corpses were moved to the general hospital morgue in Suleja.
The Commissioner of Police, CP Adamu Abdullahi Elleman, condemned the act of jungle justice, stating that the suspect would have helped the police ascertain the source of the rifles and unravel their aim, rather than resorting to a self-help approach.
Elleman directed the Area Commander in Suleja to commence a thorough investigation and ensure arrest of the perpetrators while the rifles undergo ballistic analysis for further investigation.
