An irate mob in Plateau state on Friday evening, set ablaze three persons suspected to be involved in the killing of Ponzhi Kwallak, the traditional ruler of Kwallak Community in Langtang North Local Government Area.
The monarch was reportedly assassinated on Thursday night when intruders invaded his home, killed him, and stole his motorcycle and mobile phone.
Multiple community sources confirmed the occurrence to newsmen in Jos, stating that the killing had thrown the area into grief and heightened tension.
According to locals, the suspects were captured on Friday while allegedly attempting to sell the stolen motorcycle and purportedly confessed to their crimes.
According to reports, the suspects were being led to security personnel when they were stopped by a mob and set burned near the Langtang North Local Government Council Secretariat.
A villager, Moses Yakubu, claimed the monarch was attacked after getting a motorcycle, which was ultimately tracked back to the accused.
“It is true. The traditional ruler was given a bike some days ago. Some people followed him to his house, shot him, stole his phone, carried the bike and left,” he said.
The suspects were apprehended while attempting to dispose of the motorcycle, which was later burned in the council area.
Danladi Mark, a resident, described the incident as a result of community frustration with insecurity and delayed justice, citing perceived systemic failure to protect lives and property.
“They came for Ponzhi Kwallak. They silenced a throne. They broke a community,” he said.
He did, however, emphasize that the incident raised broader issues about the erosion of faith in the legal system, warning that jungle justice thrives where institutional justice fails.
“This is not a celebration of violence. This is a mirror to a broken system,” he added.
Attempts to reach the Plateau State Police Command’s spokesman, Alabo Alfred, were fruitless because calls to his phone were not answered at the time of publishing this report.
