There was confusion in Ekere, a suburb of Owukpa, Ogbadibo LGA of Benue State, Saturday morning after a young motorcyclist was beaten to coma by local vigilante for allegedly stealing palm oil.
The victim, whose identity was given as Valency was caught while trying to make away with palm oil stored inside a 25 litre of jerican few days back.
He was subsequently arrested and handed over to the local vigilante who interrogated him and found him guilty.
An eyewitness told DAILY POST that the young man, who is a member of Nigerian Motorcycle Transporters Association, NIMOTA, Onyirada branch pleaded guilty but blamed it on the devil.
According to the resident, penalty for stealing in the land is corporal punishment.
“They have warned them severally against stealing and they wouldn’t listen. He (Valency) didn’t deny it because he was caught while trying to move the palm oil,” the source said.
The young man is currently being paraded and beaten at the St. Raphael’s Primary School, Ekere.
“Even when he slumped, the boys were still beating him.
“At the moment, no one knows if the young man would survive. His family has vowed to retaliate should anything happen to him,” he disclosed.
Asked if the police was aware of the incident, another source said, “it is the law of the land. The police have nothing to do with this. People have been warned to stop stealing.”
When our reporter contacted the former chairman of Vigilante, Onyirada District, Comrade Emmanuel Ameh (Rtd), he confirmed the development, but said he was yet to get the details of the development.
“So I heard, but I’m yet to get the full information. You know I’m no longer in service,” he told our reporter on phone.
Our reporter learnt that some youths in the land had fled home for fear of being attacked by the suspected thief’s family members.
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