Mob lynches suspected motorcycle thief in Benue

A suspected motorcycle thief was lynched and set on fire by a mob on Tuesday morning in Makurdi, the Benue State capital. The incident occurred around 8.30am opposite the NNPCL mini station near Tito Gate on Ibrahim Kashim Road. According to witnesses, the suspect allegedly lured a commercial motorcyclist to a location behind the Total […]

A suspected motorcycle thief was lynched and set on fire by a mob on Tuesday morning in Makurdi, the Benue State capital.

The incident occurred around 8.30am opposite the NNPCL mini station near Tito Gate on Ibrahim Kashim Road.

According to witnesses, the suspect allegedly lured a commercial motorcyclist to a location behind the Total filling station and stabbed him multiple times.

The victim reportedly died at the scene from severe injuries to his chest and stomach.

One of the witnesses said the suspect attempted to escape with the motorcycle but was chased and caught by a mob, adding that they beat him to death before setting his body on fire.

A staff member of the NNPCL mini station, who witnessed the event but wished to remain anonymous, lamented the rising cases of motorcycle theft in Makurdi, noting that many riders have been killed in similar attacks in recent weeks.

The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Udeme Edet, confirmed the incident, saying by the time police arrived, the mob had already set the suspect ablaze.

She said the suspect had recently been released from the Makurdi correctional center for a similar offence.

“He was said to have been caught after stealing a motorbike, but before the police got there, the public mob had set him on fire, burning him to death,” she said.

The PPRO warned against jungle justice, stating that anyone caught engaging in such acts would face the full force of the law.