If not for the quick intervention of the police, an angry mob in Warri, Delta State, would have lynched a 21-year-old man for allegedly stealing a mobile phone.
The mob had wanted to execute a jungle justice on the suspect before the intervention of some policemen, who rescued him from the grips of the angry residents, who were about to dispatch him to the great beyond.
The angry youths descended on the armed robber caught and he was beaten to a pulp. They were about to execute jungle justice on him, but someone called the police and they rescued the thief from the hands of the angry mob. He would have died that day because, incidents like this have become rampant in the community and they have vowed to eliminate anyone caught in the act
According to an eyewitness, who pleaded anonymity, the yet-to-be identified suspect was caught by youths around Maduku Street, Off Okumagba Avenue in Warri after he and two other members of his gang had robbed a lady of her phone.
The eyewitness said that the victim raised the alarm after she was robbed by the three men, who came to the street in a tricycle, prompting youths in the area to swing into action by giving the suspects a hot chase.
In their desperate bid to escape from the scene of the robbery, one of the suspects shot into the air sporadically to scare away the crowd that was now chasing them.
In the commotion created by the incident, two of the suspects escaped. But one of them was not so lucky as he was caught and given the beating of his life by the youths.
“The angry youths descended on the armed robber caught and he was beaten to a pulp. They were about to execute jungle justice on him, but someone called the police and they rescued the thief from the hands of the angry mob. He would have died that day because, incidents like this have become rampant in the community and they have vowed to eliminate anyone caught in the act,” the eyewitness said.
Some residents said there had been a rise in crime in the area, adding that the residents had kept their watch on the activities of hoodlums in the area. They said they were working in collaboration with B’ Division Police Station to make the area safe.
At the B’ Division police station, Warri, where the suspect was taken, the Divisional Police Officer, ASP Aniete Eyoh, declined to comment on the issue.
But a police source close to the station said that investigation into the matter was ongoing, adding that the suspect would be charged to court after conclusion of investigations.
Delta State Police Public Relations Officer, Andrew Aniamaka, promised to get back to our correspondent on the phone. But he had yet to get back as at the time of filing this report.
