Operatives of the Lagos Police Command on Thursday afternoon rescued three scavengers from being lynched to death after they allegedly murdered a man, Gideon Sylvester, 20.
The trio attracted the wrath of a mob along Beach Road, Jakande in Lekki, after Sylvester was stabbed in the neck following a disagreement.
It was learnt that the scavengers were picking scarps when Sylvester allegedly challenged them which led to a fight.
In the course of the fight, one of the boys allegedly stabbed him with a knife in the neck, causing him to bleed to death.
Sensing they had killed him, the three young men were said to have fled the scene but were pursued by onlookers who caught, beat them up, and attempted to set them ablaze.
Fortunately, policemen from Maroko Division raced to the scene and rescued the three suspects from the mob. While two of them were said to have been unconscious, the third identified as Mudasa sustained injuries, was treated and handed over to the police.
The spokesman for the command, SP Benjamin Hundeyin confirmed the incident, adding that once the other suspects are revived, they would also be detained for the alleged murder crime.
He however explained that preliminary investigation showed that one of the three suspects was actually an innocent passerby.
Hundeyin said: “The incident was reported via a distress call around 2:50 pm on Thursday. A team of policemen was mobilised to the scene where three boys were about to be burnt and they were rescued and rushed to the hospital for treatment.
“One of the suspects who was treated and discharged revealed that they stabbed Gideon because someone also injured one of them on the head.
“The mob also went to the boys’ shade and set it ablaze. The area has been stabilised and everything is back to normal. Policemen are still patrolling the area.
“Of the three boys that were about to be burnt, one has been taken to the hospital and discharged and is currently in the police station as a suspect. Of the remaining two in the hospital, one is a suspect, the other was just a victim of circumstance, not a suspect.
“Once he (suspect) is discharged, he will be handed over to the police so that they can be handed over to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for further investigation. The command will not tolerate acts of violence and residents are urged to shun jungle justice.”