On Sunday evening, a 22-year-old boy was set ablaze by an angry mob in Calabar for allegedly stealing an Android mobile phone.
Confiance News gathered from a GBN report that an eye witness said the boy, identified as Eyo, had been stealing things around the area.
The witness, who pleaded anonymity, said the boy committed the offence on Saturday, but disappeared only to reappear on Sunday.
“I have known Eyo from secondary school, he has always been stealing.
“There was a time he stole half of the class school fees.
“Even as we grew into our 20s, Eyo became audacious in stealing and more notorious, he was always caught stealing.
“This is not the first time a mob action was carried out on him, he only met his end today.
“They started by beating him with cutlass before setting him ablaze. Funny enough, it’s just for stealing an android phone,” he said.
Superintendent of Police (SP) Irene Ugbo, the Spokesperson for State Police Command, confirmed the incident, but decried the act.
She said it was unlawful for people to take laws into their hands, adding that the rightful thing to do was to have reported the suspect to the nearest police station.
“Killing him in the most gruesome manner through mob action is not only barbaric, it is illegal and unacceptable,” she said.
