By Golok Nanmwa
Plateau State Police Command has arrested four suspects in connection with the alleged mob torture and killing of a Jos-based model, Ibrahim Mbaya, popularly known as “Ibee”, while efforts are ongoing to apprehend two other fleeing suspects.
The Command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Alfred Alabo, disclosed this while parading the suspects in Jos on Tuesday, saying the arrests followed intelligence received from a Good Samaritan who alerted the police that a young man had been rushed to hospital in critical condition after a brutal assault.
According to Alabo, the victim later succumbed to injuries sustained during the attack, prompting an intensive investigation by detectives.
He explained that the police moved swiftly after receiving the information, leading to the arrest of three initial suspects before a fourth suspect was subsequently apprehended.
He said investigations revealed that at least six persons actively participated in the assault.
“Through a Good Samaritan, the Plateau State Police Command received information that a young man had been taken to the hospital in a very critical condition.
“Based on that information, we swung into action and arrested three suspects. During interrogation, they confessed to their various roles in the crime.
“As investigations progressed, another suspect was arrested, bringing the total number of suspects in custody to four.
We have established that about six persons were directly involved in this incident, and efforts are ongoing to arrest the remaining suspects,” he said.
Alabo identified one of the key suspects as Emmanuel Newyear, alleging that he was captured actively assaulting the deceased with a wooden plank during the attack.
He also disclosed that another suspect identified as Joshua Tell had been arrested as investigations continued.
The police spokesman noted that preliminary investigations indicated that the suspects shared a common background linked to the same educational institution, a development that prompted the involvement of the leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS).
According to him, officials of NANS attended the parade to demonstrate their condemnation of the incident and to support ongoing efforts aimed at ensuring that everyone connected with the crime is brought to justice.
“We have been working closely with the leadership of NANS to ensure that every person involved in this crime is identified and arrested.
“The four suspects you are seeing today are already in our custody, and we will continue to pursue the remaining suspects until they are all arrested. We will also continue to keep members of the public informed as the investigation progresses,” Alabo said.
The police assured residents that the command remained committed to ensuring justice for the deceased and warned against jungle justice, stressing that criminal allegations should always be reported to law enforcement agencies rather than taking the law into one’s hands.
The command urged members of the public with useful information that could assist the investigation to come forward, assuring them that such information would be treated with utmost confidentiality.
Our correspondent reports that the death of Mbaya has sparked outrage in Jos, with residents and civil society groups calling for justice and renewed action against mob violence across Plateau State.
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