2 siblings die in Bauchi inferno as mob razes other

Two siblings have been burnt to death in Bauchi State following a fire incident at their residence in Madina, Toro Local Government Area of the state.

Bauchi State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Ahmed Wakil, who confirmed the incident on Monday, March 18, 2024, said a suspected motorcycle thief was also set ablaze by a mob at Magamar Gumau market in Toro LGA.

Wakil disclosed that the fire incident that claimed the lives of the siblings occurred on Sunday, March 17.

He said: “Upon receiving the distress call, a team of policemen attached to ‘C’ Divisional Police Headquarters rushed to the scene alongside the Federal Fire Service team.

“After the incident, two girls, Zainab Bashir Mohammed, 8, and Ummu Salma Bashir Mohammed, 5, were trapped in the fire.

“As a result, the two siblings were burnt beyond recognition.”

On the mob that killed the suspected motorcycle thief, Wakil said an investigation had commenced with a view to arrest the perpetrators.

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The police spokesman warned that the command would not tolerate any act of jungle justice whereby people take the law into their hands.

“Anyone caught in such act will not be spared,” he added.

According to him, by the time operatives attached to Toro Police Division arrived the market, the suspect had been surrounded, beaten, and set ablaze by the mob.

“The body of the suspect was rushed to Toro General Hospital, where it was certified dead by a medical doctor,” Wakil added.

He noted that the Bauchi State Commissioner of Police, Auwal Musa, has ordered discreet investigation into the matter and arrest of the culprits.

The police spokesperson added: “The CP frowned at the action of the irate youths, who instead of taking the suspect to the nearest police station for proper investigation and prosecution, beat him to death without any recourse to the law.

“The CP described the act as barbaric and inimical to the laws governing the country.

“Nobody has the right to treat a suspect in such a barbaric manner, and it is wrong for anyone to assume the position of a law enforcement agency.”

He, therefore, advised that henceforth suspects apprehended in connection with any crime be immediately handed over to the police or any law enforcement agency for  investigation and prosecution.

The Star