George Onyejiuwa, Owerri
An armed robbery suspect operating in the Umukoto in Nekede community of Owerri West council, met his Waterloo in the early hours of Friday when an irate mob set him ablaze.
The incident occurred at ‘Batcher Estate’ behind the Anglican Church near Mechanic Village, along Umukoto, Nekede.
The incident followed the killing of a motorcyclist by two suspected robbers, who robbed him of his motorcycle penultimate week.
According to eyewitnesses, the suspect and three other members of his gang had invaded the ‘Batcher Estate’ whose major inhabitants are artisans and petty traders, and started robbing them in their rooms.
However, while they were operating, a neighbour raised the alarm which attracted residents of the village.
The irate residents were said to have mobilised against the robbers and attacked them and while three of them managed to escape, one of them was apprehended, beaten to a state of coma and dragged to an uninhabited area of the Mechanic Village where he was set on ablaze.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Orlando Ikeokwu, said that he was yet to be briefed about the incident as he was arriving from an official assignment in Abuja.