AN angry mob has killed two suspected “one-chance” robbers along the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua Expressway in Abuja after they allegedly robbed and pushed a female victim out of their moving vehicle.
The incident, which occurred around 3 p.m. on Saturday, February 15, started when the suspects, operating in a commercial vehicle, allegedly robbed a woman traveling from the Gosa area toward the city.
After dispossessing her of her belongings, they forcefully pushed her out of the moving car, eyewitnesses told The ICIR.
An eyewitness, who requested anonymity, told The ICIR that the woman narrowly escaped being crushed by another vehicle that was trailing the robbers.
“The vehicle behind them almost ran over the woman, but thank God, the driver managed to stop just in time,” the eyewitness said. “That same driver then started chasing the robbers while honking to alert other road users.”
As the pursuit continued, more motorists and bystanders joined in. Their escape attempt ended at ACO Estate Junction when another motorist blocked their path as they tried to make a U-turn back toward Gosa.
The suspects immediately abandoned their vehicle and attempted to flee on foot, but the growing mob quickly overpowered them.
According to the eyewitness, one of the suspects was intercepted first and beaten severely before being set ablaze. Meanwhile, the second suspect was thrown into a roadside gutter, where he remained motionless, leading many to assume he was dead.
However, upon closer inspection, the eyewitness, who had been videoing the events, realised the suspect was still alive.
“I went closer and saw that he was just sitting in the gutter. I started recording again, and people were asking him questions,” the eyewitness recounted. “They asked for his name, but he refused to say. When they asked where he was from, he said Ogun State. They also asked if he was Yoruba, and he confirmed it.”
While the interrogation continued, members of the mob who had initially assumed he was dead began gathering again. Within moments, the aggression resumed.
“They started coming back, one by one,” the eyewitness said. “Then they poured fuel on him, intending to set him on fire like they did with the other one.”
Sensing imminent death, the suspect attempted to escape. He staggered out of the gutter and ran toward a nearby church, Foundation of Truth Assembly (FOTA), possibly seeking refuge. However, his frail condition made it easy for the mob to recapture him.
“He was very weak because they had already beaten him badly before,” the eyewitness added. “As he approached the church, someone shouted that they shouldn’t kill him there. So, they dragged him away from the church premises to another property nearby.”
There, the mob continued their assault, pelting him with stones until he succumbed to his injuries.
Police, and military reportedly looked away
A military convoy and a police patrol vehicle reportedly passed by the scene while at least one of the suspects was still alive, but they did not intervene.
“I saw an Air Force convoy passing while both men were still alive,” the eyewitness revealed. “Later, after the first one had died, I saw a police patrol vehicle heading toward City Gate. It was on the same lane where the car had burned, but the officers did nothing.”
Many bystanders, including the eyewitness, expressed frustration at the police’s failure to act. “I wasn’t even asking them to rescue him,” the eyewitness said. “At least they could have arrested him to get more information about their gang. These one-chance robbers are a serious menace. I’ve been a victim myself.”
Before the second suspect was killed, he reportedly admitted to being part of a gang of about ten people who had been operating in the area for two years. When asked how many victims he had killed, he allegedly confessed to killing two people.
The ICIR reported that one-chance robberies remain a persistent menace in Abuja, with criminals posing as commercial drivers to lure, rob, and sometimes kill unsuspecting passengers.
Nurudeen Akewushola is an investigative reporter and fact-checker with The ICIR. He believes courageous in-depth investigative reporting is the key to social justice, accountability and good governance in society. You can reach him via nyahaya@icirnigeria.org and @NurudeenAkewus1 on Twitter.