Two men accused of snatching a motorcycle and attempting to rob their victims met a grim fate when they were lynched and burnt to death by a mob in Makurdi, the capital city of Benue State.
According to DAILY POST, the incident occurred between 12 to 1 am on Friday in the Nyon area, a suburb of Makurdi.
Witnesses described how the suspects were apprehended and subjected to mob justice after a commercial motorcyclist, known locally as an Okada man, raised an alarm while the two suspects were allegedly trying to steal his motorcycle.
A witness, Terna, recounted the sequence of events: “They told me to bring them to Nyon, a suburb in Makurdi.
On getting there, they directed me into a street which I followed. But because it was too late when he got to a point, the Okada man told his passengers to pay him so he could get back but they insisted they don’t have money on them and that they will get the money when they get to his house.”
“When he made to leave, they grabbed him and requested that he give them his motorcycle key. When he refused to hand them the keys, they started struggling with him and luck ran out on them when he (the Okada man) raised an alarm,” Terna added.
The witness expressed concern over the rising cases of motorcycle snatching in Makurdi and noted that community members, especially the youth, have vowed not to let culprits escape punishment when caught.
Reports indicated that the youth chased down the suspected bike robbers and apprehended them before they could flee. The suspects were severely beaten before being set on fire.
Confirming the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Catherine Anene, stated that she had received a report and dispatched officers to the community to investigate further.
Anene reiterated the importance of citizens refraining from taking the law into their own hands and urged them to report such incidents to law enforcement agencies for proper action.
