Police Rescue 2 Women From Being Lynched In Akwa Ibom

Two women alleged to have been involved in a yet-to-be-disclosed heinous crime have been rescued by the police in Akwa Ibom State after suffering severe burns from a mob trying to administer jungle justice on them.

The women were stripped naked yesterday morning on Ring Road 3, Uyo, the state capital, and set ablaze, but the timely intervention of the commissioner for Health, Ekem Emmanuel John, who called the police to rescue them.

Confirming the sad development, the police spokesperson, DSP Timfon John, frowned at dehumanising and primitive disposition to punishing criminal suspects, describing extrajudicial killing as alien to law.

She said such cases belong to law enforcement agencies for prosecution.

According to her, though the reasons behind the attempt to lynch the suspects remain shrouded, the women have been taken to the hospital for treatment, while investigations were ongoing.

She said: “The Akwa Ibom State Police Command has condemned in the strongest possible terms the barbaric, degrading and unlawful mob attack on two women in Uyo. The incident is a savage act of criminality, lawlessness and a direct assault on human dignity and the rule of law.

“The command warns that any person found participating in mob action, jungle justice, public assault, torture, or any form of extrajudicial violence will be decisively dealt with in accordance with the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“The ugly incident occurred on Tuesday, 19th May, 2026, at about 0945hrs along Ring Road 3, Uyo, where an irate mob stripped two women naked, brutally assaulted them and attempted to subject them to unlawful execution over allegations yet to be verified by lawful authorities.

“The Akwa Ibom State commissioner for Health, Dr Ekem Emmanuel John, who witnessed the horrifying scene while on his way to the office, immediately took courageous and patriotic steps to save the victims by alerting the police after observing that one of the women had sustained severe injuries and was bleeding profusely.

“Upon receipt of the distress call, operatives of the command swiftly mobilised to the scene, dispersed the violent crowd, rescued the victims from imminent danger and rushed them to a medical facility where they are currently receiving treatment and responding positively to medical care.

“Following immediate intelligence-driven action and preliminary investigation, one suspect identified as Emediong Robert, male, 22 years, of Ikot Ekwere, Ibesikpo Asutan local government area, was arrested at the scene for actively inciting the mob and allegedly calling for the execution of the victims during the violent attack.

“The commissioner of police, CP Baba Azare, has ordered a comprehensive manhunt for every individual connected to the shameful act, vowing that all perpetrators, sponsors and accomplices involved in the attempted mob killing will be identified, arrested and prosecuted without delay,” she said.