Operatives of the Ogun State Police Command have apprehended three men for beating a 23-year-old man, Samuel Ajibade, to death over an alleged phone theft.

The suspects narrowly escaped being lynched by an irate mob following their arrest by police.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday.

Oyeyemi said the suspects, Ugo Obi, Chinonso Jude and Chibuke Samson, were residents of MTN Street, Iju-Ota in the Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area of the state.

The PPRO said the police got the report of the incident from the father of the deceased, Gbenga Ajibade.

According to him, Gbenga reported at the Onipanu Divisional Headquarters that his son was alleged to have stolen two phones by the suspects, consequent upon which they jointly beat him to a state of unconsciousness.

The PPRO said, “He (Gbenga) stated further that the deceased was rushed to the General Hospital, Ota for medical attention, but was pronounced dead as soon as he got to the hospital by the doctor on duty.

“Upon the report, the DPO, Onipanu Division, CSP Bamidele Job, led his detectives to the scene where the three suspects were quickly arrested.

“It was the quick response of the police that saved the suspects from being lynched by an angry mob, who gathered to apply jungle justice on them immediately they heard that the victim was dead.”

He added that the corpse of the deceased had been deposited in the mortuary of the General Hospital, Ota, for post-mortem examination.

The PPRO said the Commissioner of Police, Edward Ajogun, had ordered the immediate transfer of the suspects to the homicide section of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department for further investigation and diligent prosecution.

Oyeyemi added, “The CP warned that the command would not tolerate any form of jungle justice on anybody suspected of any type of crime.

“He appealed to members of public to always report anyone suspected to have committed crime to the law enforcement agencies for proper investigation and prosecution rather than taking the law into their own hands.”