A suspected lone armed robber believed to specialise in motorcycle theft was beaten to death by an angry mob on Sunday evening opposite Prime Power Filling Station in the Ankpa Ward area of Makurdi, Benue State, after an alleged motorcycle snatching triggered a rapid pursuit through adjoining streets, eyewitnesses said.
Residents said the incident began along Ahmadu Commasi Road in the Demekpe area, where the suspect allegedly pulled a gun on a commercial rider and made away with the motorcycle. The rider reportedly raised an alarm, drawing the attention of nearby youths and other riders who joined the chase.
According to accounts from the area, the suspect was intercepted near the fuel station while attempting to cross toward Ankpa Quarter Junction. A police patrol team from the “D” Division was said to be on its way, but the crowd reportedly attacked the man before officers could arrive, killing him at the scene.
The motorcycle owner, identified as Onoja Okendu, said he escaped with his life and recovered his bike, but lamented what he described as a growing wave of motorcycle theft in the Benue capital. He recounted that the man he picked up as a passenger appeared harmless at first, then allegedly produced a firearm near the Demekpe Primary School axis and ordered him to run. Okendu said his shouts of “thief” prompted bystanders to block escape routes while other riders pursued the suspect.
Okendu added that he obtained the motorcycle on a hire-purchase arrangement in October 2025 for N2 million, calling the risk of losing a working bike “devastating” for operators whose livelihoods depend on daily earnings. He appealed to the government and security agencies to strengthen surveillance, and alleged that organised theft syndicates operate in Makurdi, sometimes using force, chemicals to incapacitate riders, or stealing bikes from markets and parked locations.
Efforts by reporters to reach Benue Police spokesperson DSP Udeme Edet for comment on Sunday’s incident were unsuccessful, Vanguard reported.
Mob justice has become a recurring flashpoint in Makurdi amid public anger over theft and insecurity. In separate incidents in 2025, Benue Police condemned mob killings of suspected motorcycle thieves and urged residents to hand suspects over to law enforcement rather than resort to lynching—warning that “jungle justice” obstructs due process and can lead to wrongful deaths.
