A man posing as a soldier was pulled from a violent mob attack after operatives of the Ogun State Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) unit intervened to stop what police described as a near-fatal case of jungle justice.
The suspect, identified as 31-year-old Robinson Godday, was already injured when officers reached him, having been beaten by youths who accused him of stealing two mobile phones and attempting to flee the scene.
Police said the crowd had recovered the stolen phones and returned them to the owner before Godday was rescued from the assault.
The incident occurred in the Olomore area of Abeokuta after a distress alert was picked up by the command’s Cyber Centre, indicating that a man dressed in full military camouflage had been surrounded by a mob preparing to lynch him.
According to the state police spokesperson, Omolola Odutola, officers raced to the location and dispersed the crowd on arrival, allowing the suspect to be taken into custody.
“The incident followed a distress call intercepted by the command’s Cyber Centre, alerting operatives that a man dressed in full military green camouflage uniform was surrounded by a crowd and on the verge of being lynched. SWAT operatives raced to the scene, and upon sighting the officers, the mob immediately dispersed,” she said on Tuesday.
“The suspect confessed that he was not a military officer, admitting that he had stolen the military uniform from a soldier serving at the Ojo Military Barracks in Lagos, who is currently deployed on operations in the North-East,” Odutola added.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, Lanre Ogunlowo, who condemned the mob action and urged residents to exercise restraint, has ordered intensified patrols, security checks, and stop-and-search operations around Olomore to prevent similar incidents.
The command also urged members of the public to hand over suspects to law enforcement agencies and avoid taking the law into their own hands.
