Mob beats up 84-year-old suspected kidnapper

An 84-year-old man in Ondo town was yesterday rescued from been lynched by a mob for allegedly trying to kidnap a young pupil. The suspect, identified only as Ayinde, was said to have been caught by residents in the Odosida area of the town while trying to escape with the school kid. Sources said but […]

An 84-year-old man in Ondo town was yesterday rescued from been lynched by a mob for allegedly trying to kidnap a young pupil.

The suspect, identified only as Ayinde, was said to have been caught by residents in the Odosida area of the town while trying to escape with the school kid.

Sources said but for the intervention of policemen who raced to the scene close to the palace of the Osemawe of Ondo, Oba Kiladejo, the suspect would have been killed.

Some of the people later told journalists that the suspect seemed to be mentally unstable.

One of the witnesses who spoke under the condition of anonymity said the action of the man prompted the suspicious residents to raise an alarm.

The witness said the suspected kidnapper was dragged round by the mob to ascertain his identity before he was forced to confess to the crime and then beaten up.

“The old man was caught, by one of the residents in the area, dragging the little boy to an unknown destination.

“Immediately, an alarm was raised when it became suspicious that the boy did not know the old man, judging by his behaviour. He was nearly lynched,” he said.

Ondo State Police Command spokesman, Femi Joseph, confirmed the incident. He said the suspect has been moved to Akure.

He said investigation into the case has begun.