A mob has reportedly lynched a suspected notorious phone snatcher identified as Aliyu Dan Baba at New Kutunku community in Gwagwalada Area Council of the FCT.
A resident of New Kutunku, Jamilu Suleiman, said the incident happened on Saturday, around 8:12 pm when the suspect allegedly stole two phones at a mosque in the area.
He said the suspect walked into the mosque after the Maghrib prayers and unplugged two phones that were charging inside the mosque.
He said the owners of the phones were still inside the mosque after the Maghrib prayers waiting to observe the Isha’i prayers when the suspect unplugged their phones.
According to him, one of the owners of the phones saw that the suspect had unplugged the phones and was trying to escape and he raised an alarm, which led to his arrest.
“It was the alarm raised by one of them inside the mosque that attracted the attention of some residents and a mob who ran after him and apprehended him. And before you know what was happening, some boys started beating the suspect with hard objects until he gave up,” he said.
Suleiman said some residents who later came to the scene identified the suspect to be a notorious gang leader of phone snatchers, especially around New Kutunku, Dagiri, and Unguwar Dodo in the council’s metropolis.
A member of the vigilante, Zubairu Dantani, also confirmed the lynching of the suspect.
Dantani, who spoke to our reporter on Sunday, said the suspect had been arrested on several occasions for phone theft at various areas of the Gwagwalada metropolis, stating that nemesis caught up with him only on Saturday after he invaded a mosque to steal phones and was apprehended.
The vigilante member, however, condemned the lynching of the suspect, saying the mob overwhelmed the vigilante who arrived the scene and attempted to rescue him.
A police source at Gwagwalada division also confirmed the incident, saying investigations are ongoing into the matter.
By Abubakar Sadiq Isah @DailyTrust
