Police in the Walewale District in the North East region have arrested a 25-year-old man in connection with a violent assault that left a young man severely wounded in what authorities are calling a disturbing act of mob justice.

The suspect, identified as Rafai Tahiru, was apprehended on Sunday, 5th October, following a police intelligence operation in Tampulungu, a suburb of Walewale.

He is accused of acting in concert with two other individuals who are currently on the run to brutalise a man they suspected of stealing a mobile phone.

According to a press statement issued by the police, on Saturday, 4th October, Tahiru and his alleged accomplices confronted the victim over the alleged theft.

The trio tied the victim’s hands and legs with ropes, forced him into a tricycle, and subjected him to a vicious beating with canes. They also inflicted multiple machete wounds to the victim’s forehead and body.

Eyewitnesses at the scene intervened, rescuing the victim and rushing him to the Walewale Government Hospital for emergency medical treatment. The suspects fled before police arrived.

During a subsequent search of Tahiru’s residence, officers discovered a blood-stained machete believed to have been used in the attack. The weapon has been taken into evidence as investigations continue.

Tahiru is expected to be put before the court in the coming days. Meanwhile, the Walewale Police say efforts are ongoing to apprehend the remaining two suspects, who are still at large.

Authorities have condemned the attack and urged the public to refrain from taking the law into their own hands.

The police noted that anyone with information on the whereabouts of the other suspects is encouraged to contact the Walewale Police.