The Plateau State Police Command has arrested four persons over the alleged mob torture and killing of a Jos-based model, Ibrahim Mbaya, popularly known as “Ibee”, while security operatives intensify efforts to apprehend two other suspects believed to have fled.
The Command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Alfred Alabo, disclosed this while parading the suspects in Jos on Tuesday.
He said the arrests were made after the police received credible information from a Good Samaritan who reported that a severely injured young man had been taken to hospital following a violent assault.
Alabo said the victim later died from injuries sustained during the attack, prompting detectives to launch a full-scale investigation into the incident.
He explained that officers acted immediately on the intelligence, leading to the arrest of three suspects in the first instance, while a fourth suspect was later apprehended as the investigation progressed.
He added that preliminary findings showed no fewer than six people actively participated in the fatal assault.
“Through a Good Samaritan, the Plateau State Police Command received information that a young man had been taken to the hospital in a very critical condition.
“Based on that information, we swung into action and arrested three suspects. During interrogation, they confessed to their various roles in the crime.
“As investigations progressed, another suspect was arrested, bringing the total number of suspects in custody to four.
“We have established that about six persons were directly involved in this incident, and efforts are ongoing to arrest the remaining suspects,” he said.
The police spokesman identified Emmanuel Newyear as one of the principal suspects, alleging that he was seen assaulting the deceased with a wooden plank during the attack.
He also confirmed the arrest of another suspect, Joshua Tell, as investigators continued to unravel the circumstances surrounding the killing.
According to Alabo, initial investigations suggested that the suspects shared a common background connected to the same educational institution, a development that informed the involvement of the leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students.
He noted that NANS officials attended the parade to register their condemnation of the incident and to support efforts aimed at ensuring that all those involved are brought to justice.
“We have been working closely with the leadership of NANS to ensure that every person involved in this crime is identified and arrested.
“The four suspects you are seeing today are already in our custody, and we will continue to pursue the remaining suspects until they are all arrested. We will also continue to keep members of the public informed as the investigation progresses,” Alabo said.
The police reiterated their commitment to securing justice for the late Mbaya and cautioned members of the public against taking the law into their own hands, stressing that criminal allegations should always be reported to law enforcement agencies for proper investigation.
The command also appealed to anyone with useful information that could assist the ongoing investigation to come forward, assuring the public that all information received would be handled with strict confidentiality.
The killing of Mbaya has continued to generate widespread condemnation in Jos, with residents and civil society organisations demanding justice and renewed efforts to curb the growing menace of mob violence across Plateau State.
