The Rivers State Police Command has rescued a man that was attacked by a mob in Port Harcourt on Wednesday 18 September 2019 after he was mistaken for another person.

Members of Aluu community had pounced on the suspect who was simply identified as Mr Abel because he looked like one Olaniyi Babatunde John.

Mr Abel was lynched after some members of the community had mistaken him for Mr Olaniyi who fled the community after he was accused of instigating the killing of four University of Port Harcourt students in 2012.

Trouble started when one Mr Chuka saw a man whom he assumed was Mr Olaniyi, he immediately called the family of Lloyd Toku, one of the students killed in the Aluu killing to inform them that Mr Olaniyi was in the neighbourhood.

He then led a mob to the hotel where Mr Abel was staying, thinking it was Mr Olaniyi.

They then demanded to know the room where Mr Olaniyi was staying in but the receptionist refused to give them the information but when they threatened to beat her up she gave them the register.

They went through it but could not find the name of Mr Olaniyi. As they began to cause a scene, this caused guests in the hotel to come out of their rooms, Mr Abel also stepped out of his room and into the hands of the mob who immediately sighted him.

Although he tried to explain that he was not Mr Olaniyi, the mob did not listen as they were already slapping and hitting him in the face.

He could have been lynched to death if not for the timely intervention of the hotel manager who called the police.

Mr Abel was subsequently rescued by the police who could not apprehend any suspect because they had fled the scene on sighting the police.

It would be recalled that Mr Olaniyi a member of Aluu Youth Community Union who was accused of instigating the killing of four University of Port Harcourt students including Mr Toku Lloyd.

He fled the community in 2013 after the police failed to assure of his safety but later returned to the community after three years in exile.

His family, however, has not been too lucky as they have been harassed and threatened to disclose the whereabouts of Mr Olaniyi who again fled in March 2016.

Vanguard Nigeria News