A 22-year-old man was on Sunday evening set ablaze by an angry mob for allegedly stealing an Android mobile phone at Atimbo area of Calabar Municipality Local Government Area of Cross River State.
An eyewitness said he had been known for petty stealing around the area and warned several times to desist from such.
The witness, who pleaded anonymity, said Eyo committed the offence on Saturday and disappeared into thin air only to reappear on Sunday.
The eyewitness said: “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.”
The spokesperson of the Cross River State Police Command, SP Irene Ugbo, has confirmed the incident and decried the act.
While noting that it was unlawful for people to take laws into their hands, she said the rightful thing to do was to have reported the suspect to the nearest police station in the area.
“Killing him in the most gruesome manner through mob action is not only barbaric, it is illegal and unacceptable,” Ugbo stated.
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