Police React As Mob Sets Couple Ablaze

A mob in Orogwe, in the Owerri West Local Government Area of Imo State, has lynched a couple to death over allegations of motorcycle theft.

Henry Okoye, the State Police Command spokesperson, cautioned the public against taking matters into their own hands. Okoye verified the mob action on Thursday, September 5, 2024.

If the public continued to take the law into their own hands, the PPRO claimed, justice would not be served.

“Allow the police to do their work. Any suspect should be handed over to the police for proper investigations. The police have deployed their team for investigations to apprehend the perpetrators,” he said.

According to reports, the unidentified couple was set on fire by enraged youths on Monday, September 2, in Orogwe, Ohio, after they were accused of stealing motorcycles.

The couple primarily worked in the town and other villages, according to a community source.

“The couple was caught on Monday while absconding with a stolen motorcycle after robbing a motorcyclist of his bike with a pistol,” the source said.

“The couple was well known in the community but no one knew they were involved in motorcycle snatching until they were caught.”

He made a suggestion that a lot of individuals had lost their motorcycles while traveling along the road and that people were already on edge, anticipating the day when “the criminals would be caught.”

“They were caught while trying to dispossess a man of his motorcycle along the Orogwe/Ohii Road. Because the youths and community vigilantes were already enraged by the ugly trend, they refused to hand them to the police.

“But what I don’t know is if the couple are from the community. It was terrible.”

Many young people were reported to have left the area out of fear of being detained by the police while the inquiry was underway.

A Gentle Reminder: Every obstacle is a stepping stone, every morning; a chance to go again, and those little steps take you closer to your dream.

Nnamdi Okoli