Two serving police officers attached to the Police Mobile Force in Lagos State narrowly escaped being lynched on Monday after they were mistakenly identified as kidnappers by residents of Kanuyi community in Simawa, Sagamu Local Government Area of Ogun State.
The incident, which triggered panic and viral circulation of videos on social media, saw the officers briefly detained by an angry mob before operatives of the Ogun State Police Command intervened and rescued them.
Confirming the development, the Police Public Relations Officer in Ogun State, DSP Oluseyi Babaseyi, said the officers were on official duty when they got lost while returning from a deployment in Sagamu and were wrongly profiled as suspected kidnappers.
According to him, the situation escalated after some residents raised a false alarm, leading to their immediate apprehension and public interrogation.
“Upon receipt of the report, operatives were swiftly mobilised to the scene, where the individuals were rescued from an agitated crowd and taken into protective custody for proper identification,” Babaseyi said.
He explained that preliminary investigation and verification by the Command confirmed the men as duly serving officers of the Nigeria Police Force, attached to a Mobile Police Squadron in Lagos State, with valid identity cards and official deployment documents.
Babaseyi added that their parent unit also authenticated their status as legitimate officers carrying out lawful duties.
The police spokesman, however, expressed concern that before security operatives arrived, the officers had already been searched, photographed and recorded by some residents, a development that fueled misleading content widely shared online.
He noted that although the officers escaped physical harm, they were subjected to emotional distress and public embarrassment arising from misinformation and mob suspicion.
While commending residents for their vigilance, the Command cautioned against resorting to jungle justice, warning that such actions could endanger innocent lives.
“This incident underscores the dangers of misinformation and the importance of allowing security agencies to properly verify suspicious situations before action is taken,” he said.
The Command reaffirmed its commitment to community policing and urged residents to promptly report suspicious movements to security agencies rather than engage in mob action.
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