Abia Commissioner of Police Mr Kenechukwu Onwuemelie, has revealed that 12 people were killed in nine incidents of mob action recorded in various parts of the state between January 1 and October 13, this year.
Onwuemelie spoke during a courtesy visit to Okey Kanu, Abia Commissioner for Information and Culture at the state secretariat on Friday.
While condemning the prevalence of mob action in the state, Onwuemelie emphasized that the law presumes an individual innocent until proven otherwise by a court of competent jurisdiction, therefore it would be unlawful to subject anyone to mob justice for whatever reasons.
He said that mob justice had become an ugly trend which must be stopped, adding that it should be unheard of that people engaged in mob justice.
“It is barbaric for us as civilised persons residing within the South-East and Nigeria to be taking the law into our hands under such circumstances as there are several implications and consequences.
“Those perpetrating such acts are perpetrating more heinous offences and crime than the people they are supposedly accusing of crimes.
“Beyond this, people can leverage on mob action to unduly visit terror on their supposed enemies or victimise their rivals,” Onwuemelie said.
He said that the visit to the ministry was informed by the decision to partner the government to tackle the social problem.
“We have realized that information is a strong tool and it must effectively be deployed ethically and professionally for the benefit of the society, hence the need to work with the ministry,” Onwuemelie said.
In his response, Kanu said that mob justice could be best described as a barbaric act which does not present the people of Abia in good light, therefore should be shunned by all means.
“Please, we are good people; we are civilised people and should not go in the way of such savagery,” Kanu added.
He said that the government and people of Abia must put heads together to nip such barbaric acts in the bud.
“I want to advise the people of Abia, because given the statistics reeled out by the Commissioner of Police, we can see that it is a growing trend and it is a dangerous one.
“People can use mob justice to settle scores with their political opponents and enemies.
“For whatever it is worth, instead of mob action look for the nearest police station to report,” Kanu said.
He also urged the people of Abia to disregard fake news, because circulating fake news and unverified information could do more harm than good to members of the society.
According to him, “security issues are sensitive” , which raises the need for relevant authorities to utilise structured and well managed information to address security issues.
He, further, expressed the willingness of the state government to collaborate with the Police to ensure that peace and stability would be maintained in the state.
“We’ll collaborate with you and give you all the support you need to succeed in the state,” Kanu added.
