Two men who allegedly snatched a motorcycle and were attempting to rob their victims were burnt to death by a mob in Makurdi, Benue State capital.
The incident took place at about 12 to 1 am on Friday, in the Nyon area, a suburb of Makurdi.
A witness account said the suspects were apprehended and lynched after a commercial motorcyclist popularly called Okada man raised alarm while the two suspects were struggling to rob him of the Okada.
A witness who identified himself simply as Terna narrated that according to the Okada man, he picked both passengers from Katsina Ala street in the High-Level area of Makurdi town heading to Nyon.
He said: “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.
“While 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 the okada man raised an alarm.”
Terna, however, lamented that the incidence of motorcycle snatching has been on the increase in the Makurdi metropolis.
He said community members and especially the youth have also vowed that culprits would not go free when caught in the act.
He further explained that the youth who came out in their numbers gave the suspected bike robbers a good chase and caught them before they could escape.
It was learnt that the youth had beaten the dead suspects to a pulp, before setting them ablaze.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Benue State Command, SP Catherine Anene, confirmed that she received a report on the incident, saying some officers had been detailed to the community to find out what actually happened.
She, however, reiterated the call on the Benue public to desist from taking laws into their hands and advised them to report such issues and persons to law enforcement agencies for necessary action.
