Angry mob sets robbery suspect ablaze in Imo

An armed robbery suspect caught while operating in Owerri, the Imo State capital, has been set ablaze by an angry crowd.

The incident occurred in the early hours of Friday at ‘Batcher Estate,’ near Mechanic Village along Umukoto, Nekede in the Owerri West Local Government Area of Imo State.

The incident followed the killing of a motorcyclist by two suspected robbers who robbed the rider of his motorcycle. According to eyewitnesses, the suspect and three other members of his gang invaded the estate and started robbing residents in their rooms.

But while they were operating, a neighbour raised the alarm which woke up members of the village.

The crowd were said to have mobilised against the robbers and attacked them. While three of them fled, one of them was nabbed and beaten to a pulp. He was taken to a location around the Mechanic Village where he was set on fire.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, SP Orlando Ikeokwu, told punch correspondent that he was in Abuja on an official assignment.