Two children have been burnt to death in Bauchi following a fire incident in their residence, the police said in a statement on Monday.

A statement by spokesperson for the Bauchi State Police Command, SP Ahmed Wakil, also said a suspected motorcycle thief was set ablaze by a mob at Magamar Gumau market, Toro Local Government Area of the state.

Mr Wakil said that the fire that claimed the lives of the siblings occurred on Sunday in the Madina area of Bauchi.

He said, “Upon receiving the distress call, a team of policemen attached to ‘C’ Divisional Police Headquarters rushed to the scene alongside the Federal Fire Service team. After the incident, two girls, Zainab Bashir Mohammed, 8, and Ummu Salma Bashir Mohammed, 5, were trapped in the fire. As a result, the two siblings were burnt beyond recognition.’’

On the mob that killed the suspected motorcycle thief, he said that investigation had commenced with a view to arrest the perpetrators.

He warned that the command would not tolerate any act of jungle justice whereby people take the law into their hands.

“Anyone caught in such an act will not be spared,” he added.

According to him, by the time operatives attached to Toro Division arrived at the market, the suspect had been surrounded, beaten and set ablaze by the mob.

Mr Wakil added, “The body of the suspect was rushed to Toro General Hospital where it was certified dead by a medical doctor.’’

According to him, the Commissioner of Police in the state, Auwal Musa, has ordered discreet investigation into the matter and arrest of the culprits.

“The CP frowned at the action of the irate youths, who instead of taking the suspect to the nearest police station for proper investigation and prosecution, beat him to death without any recourse to the law. The CP described the act as barbaric and inimical to the laws governing the country. Nobody has the right to treat a suspect in such a barbaric manner, and it is wrong for anyone to assume the position of a law enforcement agency,” he added.

He therefore advised that henceforth suspects apprehended in connection with any crime be immediately handed over to the police or any law enforcement agency for investigation and prosecution.

(NAN)