Irate mob set robbery gang ablaze in Onitsha

The surviving member of a 3-man armed robbery gang who allegedly specializes in terrorizing inhabitants of Onitsha and its environs has at last been tracked down and set ablaze by angry mob.

Two of his gang members had been set ablaze on Monday in front of a filling station close to the building materials international market, Ogidi, near Onitsha when they were caught in action, while their leader fled with their operational bike.

But luck ran out on the fleeing gang leader yesterday morning as he was caught in the act and set ablaze at Afor Nkpor market roundabout together with the operational motorcycle with which he barely managed to escape two days ago when his gang members were burnt.

He was said to have on arrival at Afor Nkpor market, pointed a gun at some people in the market and ordered them to surrender all they had to him immediately.

It was on the process of handing over the said items to him that one of the victims shouted on top of his voice that they were being robbed which attracted passers-by.

On noticing danger he wanted to speed off but was held by some youths who rushed to the rescue of the victims and held him.

He was immediately set ablaze by the angry mob with his motorcycle and gun even as on-lookers identified him as one of a three-man armed robbery gang that escaped death by the whiskers when two of his accomplices were earlier set ablaze at Ogidi building materials market, early this week.

It was further gathered that his dying gang members even mentioned his name as their leader while he was on his escape route before they were set ablaze.

They were said to have on the fateful day robbed some traders while in a bike and unfortunately for two out of three of them, they were set ablaze and he escaped with the motorcycle.

It was gathered that the same motorcycle he escaped with, was the one he also used to rob alone on Wednesday before he met his Waterloo.

Contacted, the State Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Tochukwu Ikenga, DSP said he was not aware of the incident yet but pleaded for time to contact the Ogidi Divisional Police Officer, DPO, Mr. Ekuri Remigius.