Police gives update on lynching of an alleged Internet fraudster in Ondo

The Police Command in Ondo State has shared an update about the young man beaten to death in the state on Monday morning.

According to the police, the deceased was a 35-year-old man identified as Olorunfemi Tope.

Tope was killed in a mob attack at Ijoka Area of Akure, the Ondo State capital, after his car crashed and killed two people and injured many others.

It was gathered that the he attempted to escape but the people of the area stopped him. Thereafter, the mob descended on him after reportedly sighting some fetish items in his car and accusing him of being an internet fraudster. He was beaten until he could not breath any more. Watch Graphic from the scene HERE.

An eyewitness said, Tolulope was driving a Toyota car along the road and suddenly his Toyota Camry car skidded off its lane to crush the victims who were on commercial motorcycles also known as okada. The eyewitness added that the sympathisers who rushed to the scene to rescue the driver found some fetish items inside the vehicle, raising suspension that the driver was a ‘Yahoo boy’.

The sympathisers who were angered by what they saw in the car, descended on the driver and beat him to a coma. and later gave up the ghost.

The car of the 35-year-old man was also set ablaze.

In reaction to the incident,  the state Police Public Relations Officer, Mrs Funmilayo Odunlami, who confirmed the incident said only two people could be confirmed dead in the fatal incident while the injured were taken to the hospital for treatment.

The PPRO said, “No one can confirm if the young man in question is an internet fraudster. There was an accident that led to the death of a motorcyclist, and rather than people around to help, some resolved to jungle justice by killing the young man who drove the vehicle and set the car ablaze. But for the quick intervention of the police, his parents too would have been killed. In all, two people were confirmed dead while those injured in the accident are currently in the hospital.”