Chepareria residents in West Pokot county have barricaded Kitale-Lodwar highway as they demand police officers to release a suspect who was nabbed while luring a child with a sweet to allegedly kidnap him.
The locals are now demanding police officers to release the suspect as they bay for his blood.
The locals burnt tyres on the highway and blocked the road with huge stones in worry that the police officers might move the suspect to Kapenguria police station instead of letting them in to lynch the suspect.
Benson Krop, one of the locals said the suspect was riding a motorcycle towards Kakurut area and all of a sudden stopped and gave a sweet to a child while enticing him to board his motorcycle.
“Some of the road users suspected that the bodaboda rider was a kidnapper. They queried his actions and confronted him on why he was giving sweets to children. On realising that things were turning ugly, he sped off, ” Benson said.
The locals then mobilized bodaboda riders who followed the man up to Senetwo area where they caught him after his motorcycle halted due to lack of fuel.
Mudang Juma added that police officers were alerted and immediately rescued the man who had been thoroughly beaten by members of the public.
“Police officers rescued him and took him to the police post. But still, hundreds of people demanded his release for more beatings,” he said
Police had to use teargas to repulse the crowd.
During the fracas, a police vehicle coming from Lodwar was stoned as locals thought the police vehicle was moving the suspect from the police post.
Kipkomo sub-county OCPD Adano Abukula confirmed that the suspect was arrested by locals and they wanted to burn him alive.
“The residents demonstrated by barricading the road because we decided not to release the suspect. We had to use tear gas canisters to disperse the rowdy crowd,” he said.
He said they managed to move the suspect to Kapenguria police station for his safety and to subside the chaos.
“We didn’t even manage to interrogate the suspect because the residents turned chaotic. One police officer was injured and our vehicle was badly damaged,” he said.
