- Suspected robber hacked to death in Imo
Two suspected armed robbers were burnt to death on Tuesday, while two others escaped after allegedly robbing a pregnant woman on the Abak Boulevard in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
It was gathered that the pregnant woman was surrounded by the robbers after alighting from a motorcycle around 9pm.
It was learnt that the motorcyclist, who had left the scene, was forced to rush back following the woman’s scream for help.
An eyewitness, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said two of the robbers fled on sighting the motorcyclist after dispossessing the woman of her valuables, but the other two were not as fortunate.
Another eyewitness said the motorcyclist raised the alarm, which attracted some residents of the area, who rounded up the robbers.
It was gathered that the robbers had already inflicted injuries on the hand of the pregnant woman.
“Luck ran out on two of them when they were overpowered by the men, who beat, stoned and locked them up in a tunnel and set them ablaze,” the eyewitness recounted.
A resident of the area, Mrs Arit Archibong, lamented that the flyover area had become a den of criminals.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Odiko Macdon, who confirmed the robbery, however, frowned on the resort to jungle justice, stressing that such had no place in law.
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He stated, “It is unfortunate that the suspected robbers were already set ablaze before we got there. Jungle justice has no place in law. Every accused person is innocent until proven guilty under the law.
“It is better for nine thieves to be allowed to go unpunished than for one innocent person to be killed in error.
“We have liaised with the state waste management authority to evacuate the remains of the deceased, while investigation is ongoing to unravel those behind the killings.”
Similarly, some irate youths, on Wednesday, hacked a suspected robber to death in Umunkuto- Nekede in the Owerri West Local Government Area of Imo State.
It was gathered that luck ran out on the man after he broke into a building in the area.
Residents were alerted and the compound was barricaded and he was apprehended, learnt.
He was reportedly hacked to death by the enraged youths, who complained of constant theft in the area.
“Irate youths hacked a street thief to death in Nekede on Wednesday. The alarm was raised and people barricaded the compound. He was caught and hacked to death,” an eyewitness stated.
It was gathered that the youth abandoned the corpse, which was later evacuated to the morgue by the police.
When contacted, the police spokesperson in the state, Orlando Ikeokwu, confirmed that the corpse had been evacuated by the police
Source: The Punch
