A suspected motorcycle snatcher has been beaten and set ablaze by an angry mob in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, following an alleged armed robbery attempt on Sunday.
The incident occurred near the Prime Power filling station after a man was accused of forcefully dispossessing an okada rider of his motorcycle along Ahmadu Commisi Road in the Demekpe area.
Eyewitnesses said the suspect fled immediately after the motorcycle was taken, but the rider raised an alarm that mobilised youths and fellow commercial motorcyclists in the neighbourhood. The chase reportedly stretched across several streets before the suspect was intercepted near the busy fuel station.
A resident, identified simply as Tony, said the suspect was cornered while attempting to cross the road, his escape blocked by traffic coming from the Ankpa Quarter Junction.
“Once he was caught, some of the boys rushed to a vulcaniser’s workshop, brought out tyres and set him on fire,” Tony said. “This happened before a police patrol team from D Division could get there.”
The motorcycle owner, Onoja Okendu, said he narrowly escaped death during the attack and expressed gratitude for surviving the ordeal.
According to Okendu, he purchased the motorcycle in October 2025 under a hire-purchase agreement valued at ₦2 million.
Recounting the incident, he said the suspect approached him near a church along the NKST sharp bend while he was heading from Wadata towards the Modern Market.
“Because it was Sunday, I thought he was coming out of the church,” Okendu explained. “He boarded the bike without saying anything. When we got near Demekpe Primary School, he asked me to stop, claiming he forgot something. That was when he brought out a gun and told me to run.”
He said he immediately fled while shouting for help, attracting the attention of residents and other motorcyclists who joined the pursuit.
Okendu appealed to the Benue State Government and security agencies to strengthen surveillance and patrols, warning that motorcycle snatching at gunpoint continues to occur in broad daylight despite restrictions on night operations.
As of the time of filing this report, the Benue State Police Command had not issued an official statement. Efforts to reach the command’s spokesperson, DSP Udeme Edet, were unsuccessful.
The incident has once again raised concerns over rising crime and the growing resort to mob justice in parts of the state.
