A serving corps member, identified as Ben Agir, has been hacked to death by community vigilantes in Buruku Local Government Area of Benue State.
NGGOSSIPS Metro gathered that the incident occurred in Anibros Settlement in the local government area.
Local sources told our correspondent that the vigilantes alleged the deceased was apprehended during a night patrol on suspicion of handling a stolen motorcycle.
Confirming the incident in a telephone interview with journalists on Thursday, the Chairman of Buruku LGA, Raymond Aondoakura, said it happened on Sunday between 11 pm and 12 midnight.
The chairman said, “The report came to me on Monday around 4 a.m. The incident happened late on Sunday between 11 p.m. and 12 midnight at Mbajor Settlement near the Local Government Secretariat.
“From what I gathered, they said they caught him and suspected he was a bike snatcher. Before he could explain himself and present his identification card, one of the leaders started beating him, claiming he was not telling the truth.
“They beat him into a coma, and seeing his condition, they took him to a hospital that night, where he died.”
The chairman said the assailants had been arrested and handed over to the police for arraignment.
“We confirmed that the deceased was a serving corps member,” he added.
He further said the council had suspended the activities of local vigilantes and disbanded them pending the implementation of proper measures to regulate their operations.
Meanwhile, efforts to get a reaction from the police spokesperson, DSP Udeme Edet, were unsuccessful as she did not pick up her calls as of the time of filing this report.
The spokesperson for the National Youth Service Corps in the state, Mrs Veronica Ogwuche, said that, based on available reports, the deceased was not a corps member serving in Benue State.
“We have also heard of it, but he was not a corps member serving in the state. From what we saw, it is likely he was serving in Gombe State,” she said.
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