A Police Inspector attached to the Plateau Command, Lasare Jeremiah, has been beaten to death by a mob after being falsely accused of theft in the state.
It was learnt that the tragic incident occurred after the officer, who was on official duty to apprehend a notorious suspect, Audu Abdullahi, was mistaken for a criminal after the suspect turned around to accuse the law enforcement officer of stealing from him.
In a cruel twist of events, the mob descended on the officer, who was deployed to the Criminal Investigation Department of the command, and left him with fatal injuries despite his identity.
On Friday, it was learnt that the incident occurred in the Nyakala community, Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State,
The Guild learnt that Jeremiah had been deployed to arrest Abdullahi, who had reportedly been terrorising residents in the area.
According to the Command’s spokesperson, DSP Alabo Alfred, the deceased officer and his colleague trailed Abdullahi from Binchi Village before successfully intercepting him at Nyakala.
However, instead of surrendering, the suspect raised a false alarm, alleging that the officers were motorcycle thieves. This triggered the mob’s deadly reaction.
“Sadly, the false alarm led to an irate crowd attacking our officers. Inspector Lasare Jeremiah was beaten to a pulp before his identity could be clarified,” Alfred explained in a statement issued Friday.
He revealed that by the time residents realised the truth, the mob redirected their anger toward Abdullahi, unleashing violence on him as well.
Both men were rushed to Cottage Hospital in Kisalloi, where Jeremiah passed away, while the suspect was later transferred to Jos University Teaching Hospital and has been in a coma since then.
Following the tragedy, Plateau State Commissioner of Police, Emmanuel Adesina, condemned the incident, describing it as “a painful reminder of the dangers of mob justice.”
He urged communities to trust the police and report crimes lawfully rather than taking the law into their hands, and disclosed that the case is now under investigation by the State Criminal Investigation Department in Jos.
