Mob Set Man Ablaze, Injure Another Over Suspicion Of Being Bike Thieves In Ibadan

A man was set ablaze at about 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb 16, while another one was seriously injured by hoodlums who suspected them to be bike thieves.

It took the intervention of policemen from Ashi and Bodija Divisions to put an end to the mob attack which occurred beside Methodist Grammar School, close to railway crossing at Bodija, Ibadan, Oyo State.

It was reported that the mob almost attacked the police officers for intervening.

The police officers from Ashi rushed the man set ablaze to the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan.

The other man, who insisted he owns the motorcycle he was riding, was also rushed to a local government hospital after he was rescued by the law enforcement agents from Bodija Market Division.

The second man had been hit with sticks and cudgels, stripped naked, and sprinkled with petrol to also set him on fire. But for the timely intervention of the police, he would have faced the same fate as the first man.

The man, who gave his name Akeem Muritala, explained that he is a bike rider.

He said he had just picked a passenger at Bodija Market entrance, on his way to the Sango area, when he was challenged for riding an unregistered motorcycle and the assault began.

Muritala told the police that he has papers for the bike which he got on hire purchase. However, he said he had not registered the motorcycle because of cash constraints.

He added that his passenger was also attacked and he ran to save his life. He said he doesn’t know what happened to the man.