Two suspects have been paraded by the Niger State Police Command in connection with the ritual murder of a 4-year-old kid in the state's Lapai Local Government Area.
The suspects were saved from being lynched by a crowd after the boy's body was discovered four days after he went missing, according to bendelnews.
The suspects, Mubarak Yunusa and Emmanuel Okuagba, have been transported to SCID Minna for discreet investigation, according to the command's spokesperson, DSP Wasiu Abiodun.
"One Hussaini Ibrahim, aged 4yrs'm' of Angwan Hausawa area of Lapai was reportedly missing on 19/05/2022 at about 0700hrs," the statement added
"However, on May 20, 2022, at approximately 2100 hours, intelligence was obtained that one Mubarak Yunusa, a 27-year-old'm' from the Magaji primary school area, was spotted with a weird sack moving towards a nearby stream.
"Police operatives from the Lapai Division apprehended Mubarak Yunusa after receiving this information.
"During questioning, the suspect admitted that he placed a dead corpse in a sack near a river in the Lapai region, and that the sack was supplied to him by his shop landlord, one Emannuel Okuagba, 43, of Anambra State, who resides in Lapai.
"During the investigation, Mubarak led a team of police officers to the river, where a decomposed body of the missing youngster was discovered hidden in a sack and transferred to the main hospital in Lapai for autopsy.
"The second suspect, Emmanuel, was also apprehended, and the Commissioner of Police for Niger State Command, CP Monday Bala Kuryas, fsi, ordered a thorough investigation, with the two suspects being taken to SCID Minna for discreet inquiry.
"As a result, an enraged mob marched to the Lapai Police Division, demanding the suspects' release so they could lynch them. When their demands were ignored, the mob attacked the culprits' business and set them on fire.
"In the meantime, the case is being investigated, and the suspects will be arraigned in court for prosecution as soon as the inquiry is completed."
"The public is now asked to refrain from mob violence and jungle justice, and to help the Police and other security authorities in carrying out their lawful responsibilities in guaranteeing the administration of justice."