No fewer than five people escaped mob action after they were apprehended by villagers for attempting to kill a 10-year-old boy in a bush in Jalingo, the capital of Taraba State.
The suspects reportedly lured the boy to a bush near Kona village but they were caught by the villagers and paraded by the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) on Tuesday January 14.
According to reports, the suspects were unknowingly followed and busted by villagers who were suspicious of their motive of hiring the little boy.
Reacting to the incident, the NSCDC spokesperson in Taraba state, Godwin Peter confirmed the arrest.
He said, “When we got the security information that some young men suspected to have been carrying out ritual activities in Kona village were caught with a ten years old boy, our men moves swiftly to the village and arrested the situation.
“We went there and the villagers insisted that the five boys have been carrying out ritual killings and were dealing with human parts, the villagers urged the security to scrutinize the five boys.”
Before their arrest, the suspects inflicted a deep machete cut on the back of the 10-year-old boy who was rushed to the Federal Medical Center in Jalingo. It is expected that the suspected ritualists who have already confessed to the crime will be prosecuted at the end of the investigation.