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 in Suleja.
The incident occurred on Tuesday night when the two men were travelling from Tafa in Kaduna State towards Abuja. They were involved in a lone accident after crashing into a road construction diversion barrier near the toll gate.
Police patrol officers, who were on stop-and-search duty along the Boyi-Sarki/Toll Gate area, received a distress call and rushed to the scene to assist. A sack recovered from the victims was searched, leading to the discovery of three AK-47 rifles, six magazines and 104 rounds of ammunition.
One of the riders died on the spot. The second victim, who sustained injuries, was reportedly lynched by a mob that had gathered at the scene before he could be taken to the hospital. Their bodies were later deposited at the General Hospital morgue in Suleja.
Confirming the incident in a statement on Thursday, the Police Public Relations Officer, Wasiu Abiodun, said the Commissioner of Police, CP Adamu Abdullahi Elleman, condemned the act of jungle justice.
According to the statement, the Commissioner noted that the suspect could have provided valuable information to help the police determine the source of the weapons and their intended use, rather than being subjected to mob action.
He directed the Area Commander in Suleja to commence a thorough investigation, ensure the arrest of those involved in the lynching, and subject the recovered rifles to ballistic analysis as part of ongoing investigations.
