A man identified as Ben Agir, said to be a serving member of the National Youth Service Corps, has reportedly been beaten to death by members of a community vigilante group in Buruku Local Government Area of Benue State.
The incident was said to have occurred during a night patrol in the Anibros settlement, where the deceased was allegedly accosted by the vigilantes on suspicion of motorcycle theft.
Confirming the development on Thursday, the Chairman of Buruku LGA, Raymond Aondoakura, said the incident took place late Sunday night between 11pm and midnight.
He said the matter was reported to him in the early hours of Monday.
The chairman said, “The report came to me on Monday around 4 am. The incident happened at Mbajor settlement near the Local Government Secretariat.
“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, claiming that he was not telling them the truth.
“They beat him to a coma, and seeing his condition, they took him to a hospital that night, and he died.”
Aondoakura added that those involved in the incident had been arrested and handed over to the police for further investigation.
He also disclosed that the local government had suspended vigilante operations in the area pending proper regulation.
“We confirmed that the deceased was a serving corps member,” he stated.
However, the Public Relations Officer of the NYSC in Benue State, Mrs Veronica Ogwuche, said preliminary findings suggested that the deceased might not have been serving in the state, noting that he could be a corps member posted to Gombe State.
Attempts to get a response from the Benue State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Udeme Edet, were unsuccessful as calls and messages sent to her were not returned as of the time of filing this report.
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