Angry mob sets robbers on fire in Anambra, police condemns action

An angry mob in Anambra has set two suspected armed robbers on fire along the Onitsha-Owerri Road on Thursday.

The incident happened by the Romchi Transport Park when the suspected robbers tried to rob a lady dimply identified as at gunpoint in a tricycle.

Robbers have been using tricycles to carry out robbery attacks on unsuspecting victims on the road for quite some days now, The Punch reports.

According to an eyewitness account, three suspected robbers were apprehended, while two were set ablaze. The surviving robber managed to escape through a nearby bush.

The eyewitness said, “For some days now, a robbery gang has been using tricycle to rob unsuspecting passengers, pretending to be tricycle operators. They would pick passengers from Upper Iweka going to Oba and in the middle of the journey, they would dispossess their victims of their belongings at gunpoint and push them out.

“Luck ran out of these ones today as they brought out a gun and were trying to dispossess their passenger, a lady, of her handbag, phone, and other items. She shouted and that attracted people to the scene. Three robbers were apprehended while two were set ablaze. One managed to escape through a nearby bush.”

The incident reportedly caused a serious gridlock and pandemonium on the road before the men of the police came to restore sanity.

The victim, who simply identified herself as Stella, said, “I had boarded the tricycle at Upper Iweka going to Oba. On getting to the Romchi Park, one of the two men sitting beside me on my right, brought out a gun and instructed me to surrender my bag and every other item I had on me. The one on my left, was at the same time searching me.

“While they were doing this, I was somehow struggling with them and the driver, and at a point, I screamed and before I knew it, people have gathered around the tricycle. I guess their action is bottled-up anger because of the constant robbery attacks that have been going-on on this road.”

However, the state police spokesman, Ikenga Tochukwu, condemned the mob action, saying that the people should have taken the suspects to the nearest police station, rather than resort to jungle justice.

He said, “The Anambra State police operatives have recovered a tricycle, handbag and infinix phone that were allegedly disposed from a female victim by hoodlums operating along Owerri road by Romchi Transport Park, Onitsha.

“Upon police arrival, angry mob had already set two out of the hoodlums ablaze while the third person escaped.

“Meanwhile, police operatives are already on the ground and efforts are in place to bring normalcy to the area and possibly apprehend the fleeing gang member.

“Consequently, the Commissioner of Police, CP Echeng Echeng, frowns at such act and thanked the members of the public for assisting the Police in apprehending suspected criminals and also urged them to always exercise restraint by not taking the law into their hands.

“They should endeavour to take such suspects to the nearest police station whenever they are apprehended. This would afford the police the opportunity to conduct appropriate investigation into the nefarious activities of the suspects, and bring them to justice in accordance with extant laws.”