A serving NYSC member has been beaten to death in Benue after vigilantes allegedly mistook him for a motorcycle thief, prompting arrests and suspension of vigilante operations.
A National Youth Service Corps member has been beaten to death in Benue State after he was allegedly mistaken for a motorcycle thief by members of a community vigilante group.
Ben Agir Une, who was said to be serving in Gombe State and had only weeks left before completing his national service, was reportedly attacked late Sunday night at Mbajor settlement in Buruku Local Government Area after vigilante members suspected him of being a bike snatcher. Chairman of Buruku LGA, Raymond Aondoakura, who confirmed the incident, said the corps member was assaulted before he could properly identify himself or present his NYSC identity card. “From what I gathered, they said they caught him and suspected that he was a bike snatcher. Before he could explain himself and present his identification card, one of the leaders started beating him,” he said.
Aondoakura said the victim was beaten into a coma and later died in hospital, while all those involved have been arrested and handed over to police for prosecution. “We have arrested all of them and handed them to the police for arraignment. We confirmed that the deceased was a serving corps member,” he added. Following the killing, vigilante operations in Buruku have been suspended and the groups reportedly disbanded pending fresh regulations, while the Nigeria Police Force had yet to issue an official statement at the time of filing the report.
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