Police arrest vigilante chief, two others for allegedly torturing suspected thief to death

The police in Rivers State have arrested three people, including a local vigilante leader, for allegedly torturing a man to death in Ahoada West Local Government Area of the state.

The suspects were reportedly intercepted while attempting to dump the victim’s body after accusing him of stealing palm fruits, Punch newspaper reported.

The newspaper identified the deceased simply as “Ghadafi.”

According to Punch, the Chief Security Officer of Ukpeliede Community, Osiga King, said the suspects were caught after community members noticed a motorcycle conveying what appeared to be a lifeless body on Saturday.

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“These days, we have been experiencing communities being invaded by these boys, such as Idu Ekpeye, as the security coordinator of the community,” Mr King said.

He explained that local security operatives trailed the motorcycle and later discovered that a corpse had been abandoned in the community.

“So, upon tracing them, we discovered that they dropped a dead body in my community (Ukpeliede), and they left.”

Mr King said the suspects later returned with two others to relocate the body, prompting a chase by the community security operatives.

“I and my men ran after them while they were going back to Okogbe community and stopped them on the road,” he said.

Security agencies, including soldiers and police, were subsequently contacted, leading to the arrest of the suspects.

Suspects’ alleged confession

The three suspects — the vigilante chairman identified as Joshua, his colleague Friday Silas, and a motorcycle rider, Obed Godlove — allegedly confessed to torturing the victim, according to the newspaper.

“They confessed that they killed the young man known as Ghadafi by torture. They said the deceased had been into stealing, stealing people’s palm fruits,” said Mr King.

He added that the suspects claimed the victim had previously been reported to the police over alleged theft, but continued to operate in the community.

The police spokesperson in the state, Grace Iringe-Koko, confirmed the incident to the newspaper.

Mrs Iringe-Koko, however, did not respond to PREMIUM TIMES’ calls for comment on Monday.

“The suspect was involved in various cases of stealing. He was assaulted by community youths, which led to his death. Meanwhile, three suspects have been arrested in connection with the case, and investigations are ongoing,” Punch newspaper quoted the police spokesperson as saying.

Police said the suspects will be arraigned after investigations.

READ ALSO: Former Katsina SSG accuses state vigilantes of excesses, calls for better security oversight

The latest incident adds to a series of violent crimes recorded in Rivers in recent months.

In January, police arrested a suspect linked to the kidnapping and killing of a woman after collecting ransom, with authorities confirming that the victim was later murdered by her abductors.

Similarly, police in August last year dismantled a kidnapping and armed robbery syndicate in the state, recovering weapons and arresting suspects connected to multiple violent attacks.