Plateau Mob Lynches Police Inspector After Suspect’s False Alarm Sparks Chaos

Tragedy struck in Plateau State after a mob lynched a senior police officer who was falsely accused of being a motorcycle thief by the very suspect he was sent to arrest.

Inspector Lasare Jeremiah, a respected officer attached to the Criminal Investigation Department of the Plateau State Police Command, was killed in Nyakala community, Bassa Local Government Area, on Wednesday, 10 September 2025.

According to police spokesperson DSP Alabo Alfred, Jeremiah and another officer had trailed a notorious suspect, identified as Audu Abdullahi, who was wanted for terrorising residents of Kishika village. The officers intercepted Abdullahi in Nyakala while he was riding a motorcycle.

In a bid to escape arrest, Abdullahi reportedly raised a false alarm, shouting that the officers were motorcycle thieves. The outcry triggered an angry mob, which pounced on the policemen and beat them severely.

“When the mob realised their mistake, they turned on the suspect,” Alfred said in a statement. Both the inspector and Abdullahi were rushed to Cottage Hospital in Kisalloi, Bassa. Inspector Jeremiah later died from his injuries, while the suspect was transferred to Jos University Teaching Hospital, where he also died.

The Commissioner of Police, Emmanuel Olugbemiga Adesina, expressed deep sorrow over the killing and warned against jungle justice, stressing that mob actions only worsen tragedies.

The case is now under investigation by the State CID in Jos.