By Nathan Nwakamma
Angry residents at Green Villa area of Yenagoa on Wednesday rescued a man from an armed phone thief who was trying to dispossess the victim of his mobile phone at gunpoint.
The residents who came to the aid of the victim meted ‘jungle justice’ to the thief and set him ablaze before police got to the scene.
Some of the people at the scene had put a distress call to the police to avert the imminent wrath of the mob but help came too late.
Reacting to the incident, Mr. Asinim Butswat, Police Spokesman in Bayelsa condemned the act and regretted that the response team got to the scene when the suspect had been burnt to death.
Butswat, a Superintendent of Police urged members of the public to refrain from taking the laws into their hands.
“The Bayelsa State Police Command condemns the mob action on a suspected armed robber, at Green Villa, Biogbolo, Yenagoa.
“On 17 August, 2022 at about 20:20 hours, a suspected armed robber allegedly pointed a gun at a resident of Green Villa Road, Biogbolo and robbed him of his Android phone.
“Angry mob who witnessed the incident chased the suspect, beat him up and burned him to death before the arrival of the Police.
“The command cautions members to the public against taking the law into their own hands. The corpse has been evacuated and deposited at the mortuary for autopsy,” Butswat said.
The Police Spokesman said that investigation into the incident was already ongoing.
