A 10-month-old child found with a dispatch rider in Sangotedo, Lagos State, was not stolen, according to the Police.
The dispatch rider, Williams Tadule, was accused of concealing the child in a courier box, and passerby, who had gathered, pounced on the rider, beating him without finding out the truth.
Following the incident on Friday, the Police launched an investigation and it was revealed that the child’s mother was aware that the dispatch rider, who is a relative, had left with the child.
In a statement issued on Monday by the State Police Spokesperson, CSP Adekunle Ajisebutu, the child was neither stolen nor kept in the courier box as alleged by the mob.
“Although the incident was not reported at any Police Station, the State Commissioner of Police, CP Abiodun Alabi, directed that the incident should be investigated immediately.
“In compliance with the directive, an investigation was initiated and led to the discovery of the scene. Upon further investigation, it was discovered that the child was not stolen after all and was not kept in the courier box as alleged by the mob.
“The child’s mother, Lovina Biturs, was contacted. It was then revealed that the child was taken away and put on the dispatch motorbike by the rider with her consent.
“According to the mother, the 10-month-old baby is fond of the rider who is a relative and a neighbor. He was crying uncontrollably when the rider wanted to go and pick up something in the neighborhood; to pacify the baby, his mother allowed him to go with the rider.
“Passersby who saw the child with the rider along Sangotedo area, Ajah, became suspicious and concluded that the child might have been stolen. They raised an alarm that attracted a mob. The dispatch rider was eventually rescued by the Chairman of the Sunview Estate, Sangotedo,” he said.
Meanwhile, the State Commissioner of Police has admonished members of the public against any form of jungle justice as such uncivilized action has grave consequences.
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