Five kidnap suspects set ablaze

By Igbaugba Ehigimetor

Benin, July 18, 2021

Five suspected kidnappers were on Sunday set ablaze by angry youths along the Afuze-Uokha Road in Owan West Local Government of Edo, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

The suspects were said to have attacked and abducted some travellers along the lonely road and taken them inside the forest.

However, luck ran out on them as they were arrested by vigilantes who brought them out of the forest.

The angry youths, on sighting the criminals, took them from the vigilantes and burnt them to death.

NAN gathered that the kidnappers took the travellers into the bush without knowing that the vigilantes who got wind of the occurrence had mobilised to chase them.

“The kidnappers would have been contacting the families of the abducted travellers to ask for ransom if not for the bravery of the vigilantes, while residents, who were fed up with the criminal activities of these kidnappers set them on fire and left them to get burnt to death,” the source said.

Spokesman of the state police command, SP Bello Kontongs, who confirmed the incident, said investigation is ongoing.

According to him, “After the kidnap, the vigilantes went in search of the criminals who they apprehended in the bush.

“As they were coming out in Uokha Community on their way to the police station, angry youths in Uokha and adjoining towns took away the suspected kidnappers from the vigilantes.

“All efforts to get the suspects to the police proved abortive as they were burnt to death.”