Mob sets motorcycle snatcher ablaze in Benue 

From Attah Ede, Makurdi 

A suspected motorcycle snatcher, was on Tuesday  morning, set ablaze by a mob opposite the NNPCL mini station, located closed to Tito-gate along the Ibrahim Kashim road in  Makurdi, the Benue State capital.

An eyewitness who identified himself as Andrew Tergu, said the incident happened this morning at about 8:30 am when people were boarding commercial motorcycle riders, either to work or markets.

He said the suspected bike snatcher had  picked the Okada man and directed him to drop him at behind total filing station, off Ibrahim Kashim road in Makurdi. 

Tergu stated further that, on reaching the area, the suspected thief immediately came down from motorcycle, stabbed the okada rider multiple times and zoomed off but a mob gave him hot chase after someone the raise alarm.

He said the rider of the motorcycle died instantly at spot due to heavy bleeding from his stomach and chest.

According to him, a man who came out of his house around the area to also picked bike to work, stormed into the situation and started shouting, calling for help, which attracted the mob who chase the thief  to the nearby mainroad and descended on him and killed him at the spot.

“They used stones, plunks and  iron on the thief and thereafter, put tyre on his neck, then set fire on his body. This is good for the thief. 

“I believe others who engage in this kind of criminality could seen what happened today. Maybe next time, they will not try such thing again.

“Just imagine this morning by this kind time where people are going out to look for their daily breads, then, someone would  come and murder you? It shall never been well this armed robber who even though he has been killed also”, Tergu stated.

Also, a staff of the NNPCL mini station who watched the thief be set ablaze, who preferred anonymity, confirmed the incident, lamenting incessant cases of motorcycle snatching in the area.

“This kind of incident usually happens all the time especially during early hours of the day when Okada rider go out to isolated areas to scout for passengers or drop them around here. 

“Just yesterday at about this time, a young parked his motorcycle over there, then another person suspected to be thief, took the bike away. 

“Every day, you will hear that two or three okada riders are either killed or injured by motorcycle thieves and escaped with their bike. This is too bad. Government must do something about this situation,” he said.

However, when our correspondent visited the area, some staff of the Benue State Sanitation Agency, in company of police personnel were seen evacuating the remains of the suspected bike snatcher.

When contacted, Benue State Command Police Public Relations Officer DSP Udeme Edet, promised to get full details of the incidence and get back to newsmen. 

She is yet to get back  till the time of filling the report.