A mob has set ablaze a suspected motorcycle thief in Chinade town in the Katagum Local Government Area of Bauchi State.
A source in Chinade said the incident happened on Sunday, adding that the suspect stole the motorcycle at Hardawa Market in Misau LGA of the state.
According to him, the suspect fled with the motorcycle, but was trailed to Chinade town, where he was seized and beaten to a pulp before being set ablaze.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Ahmed Wakil, a Superintendent of Police, who confirmed the killing in a statement, said investigation was ongoing.
The statement read, “The Commissioner of Police, Bauchi State Command, Umar Mamman Sanda, has ordered a thorough investigation into the barbaric and dehumanising act of jungle justice meted out to the suspect by some irate youths in Chinade.
“While reacting to the ugly incident, the CP frowned on the action of the irate youths, who, instead of taking the suspect to the police for proper investigation and prosecution, mobbed him to death for allegedly stealing a motorcycle without any recourse to the law.”
Oyo youths torture two for stealing bike in Osun
In a related development, an angry mob tortured two boys along the New Ife Expressway, Ibadan, Oyo State, after they allegedly stole a motorcycle with an Osun number plate, FNN285QE.
PUNCH Metro gathered that the yet-to-be-identified boys snatched the motorcycle after they injured the owner with an axe and fled to Ibadan, unknown to them that the bike had a tracker.
A source said the owner, who collected the bike on hire purchase, called the company, Max Okada, and a four-man team on power bikes was dispatched.
The team reportedly caught up with the suspects in the Alakia area of Ibadan.
One of our correspondents learnt that some youths at the scene beat up the suspects and inflicted severe injuries on them before the arrival of the police.
An eyewitness, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said, “We were just sitting here when I suddenly saw three power bikes rode in roughly. Initially, I thought they were okada riders. They came down and pursued some guys who also parked a Bajaj Boxer Max Bike at the other side.
“Then, we heard that the boys stole the bike from Osun State; that was when some guys got angry and started beating them. This is not the first time these idiots will be stealing okada. Most times, they also kill the owner of the okada. We even saw the axe they used to attack the bike owner.”
One of the chairmen of Okada riders at Alakia Junction told PUNCH Metro that he stopped the mob from burning the suspects.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Adewale Osifeso, disclosed that the suspects had been taken to a hospital for treatment as they sustained critical injuries during the attack.
“As of now, they can’t speak. We need them to be alive to help us with investigation.
“And if it’s true that they stole the bike from Osun State, we will link up with the Osun State Command and it will be investigated,” he added.
