Mob burns suspected motorcycle thief to death in Benue community

Tension gripped the Abagu community in Gboko Local Government Area of Benue State on Sunday after some angry youths lynched and set ablaze a suspected motorcycle thief.

According to reports, the incident occurred in the early hours of Sunday when the suspect was allegedly caught trying to steal a motorcycle parked by its owner. Residents apprehended him before he could flee the scene.

Eyewitnesses told PUNCH Metro that the suspect’s arrest quickly drew a crowd of irate youths who, instead of handing him over to the police, took the law into their own hands and set him on fire.

The jungle justice came barely a day after commercial motorcyclists, popularly known as Okada riders, staged protests in Gboko over incessant motorcycle snatching and killing of their members in the ancient town.

Three people were allegedly killed Thursday night, which triggered a protest by the motorcyclists on Friday.

The command’s spokesperson, DSP Udeme Edet, who confirmed the protest, said that an investigation was ongoing to unravel those behind the snatching of motorcycles and the killing of okada riders in Gboko.

He said, “Yes, we are aware of the incident. An investigation is currently going on to unravel the circumstances behind it.”

Residents said the mob action happened in the early hours of the day, causing panic in the area as people gathered at the scene before security agents arrived.

The deceased body had been deposited at a private morgue, while normalcy had returned to the area.

Meanwhile, efforts to get a reaction from the Benue State Command spokesperson on the Sunday incident were not successful as her phone rang out, but she did not pick it up as of the time of writing this report.