‎Mob Attacks Police Station Over Farmer’s Killing In Ondo

‎A mob has attacked a police station in Ala, Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State, following the suspected murder of a farmer, Rasheed Hassan, with 14 suspects arrested over the violence.‎

‎Two police officers also sustained gunshot injuries during the incident, while two suspects accused in connection with the farmer’s death were rescued from the mob, which allegedly attempted to lynch them.

‎The Ondo State Police Public Relations Officer, Abayomi Jimoh disclosed this to journalists on Wednesday.

‎He said Hassan’s death was reported to the police on October 24, from General Camp in the Government Reserve area. Police operatives who visited the scene recovered his body with deep cuts to the head and other parts of his body.

‎The victim’s belongings were also reportedly missing, prompting the police to commence investigations to identify those responsible for the killing.

‎In connection with the incident, the Ala Youth President, Ayodele Fabumi, reportedly arrested two suspects on October 26 and was conveying them to the police station when an angry mob confronted him, demanding that the suspects be handed over for extrajudicial killing.

‎He subsequently sought refuge at the Ala Divisional Police Headquarters with the suspects, but the mob allegedly pursued them and attacked the police facility.

‎According to the police, the attackers threw stones and other dangerous objects at the station and resisted efforts by rescue teams to gain access to the area.

‎The Command said tactical and other rescue teams were deployed to restore order, leading to the successful rescue of the two suspects at about 1:45 a.m. on October 27.

‎However, the patrol team conveying the suspects to Akure reportedly came under attack, leaving two police officers with gunshot injuries allegedly caused by pellets fired from a youth pump-action firearm. The officers were rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment.

‎The police subsequently arrested 14 suspects over the attack on the police station, officers and rescue team, adding that investigations were ongoing to establish the individual roles of those arrested.

‎The Commissioner of Police, CP Felix Ohagwu, condemned the incident, describing mob action and attempts to obstruct lawful police operations as unacceptable.‎

‎He said, “No individual or group has the right to take the law into their own hands, regardless of the gravity of any alleged crime.”‎

‎Ohagwu warned that the command would not tolerate attacks on police facilities, assaults on officers or attempts to undermine lawful police operations. He assured residents that investigations into Hassan’s death and the violence that followed were ongoing.

‎The police urged residents to remain calm, provide credible information to security agencies and allow the criminal justice system to take its course, while appealing to community leaders and youth groups to discourage mob action.