Four robbery suspects met their waterloo in Okuku, Yala
Local Government Area in the northern part of Cross River State when an
irate mob set them ablaze on Thursday evening for robbing traders in the
popular Okuku market.
The young men, comprising three
indigenes of the area and one from neighbouring Ebonyi State, were
alleged to have attacked the traders from Akwa Ibom State, who come to
the market every five days to buy foodstuff, at the market’s motor park
and robbed them of the money they came with to buy foodstuff.
“Yesterday
(Wednesday) was Okuku market’s eve (known locally as Ogbada) and many
traders from Calabar, the Cross River State capital, Akwa Ibom and
Rivers states usually come here on the eve of the market so that they
could buy yams and garri early before everything is bought by others
since the road from Calabar is far and bad and the traders usually sleep
in the market park to wait for the next day,” Maria Ipuole, one of the
eye witnesses told our reporter.
•The four robbery suspects set ablaze by a mob in Okuku market on Thursday
She
said at about 7 p.m. on Wednesday when the bus carrying traders arrived
the park, one of the robbers who was monitoring the arrival of the bus
notified his gang members who came armed with locally made pistols and
machetes, attacked the traders and dispossessed them of their money and phones while shooting sporadically.
One of the traders was killed in the process.
She told P.M.NEWS
correspondent that after the robbery attack the boys escaped to Wodah, a
village a few kilometres away from the market, where some people became
suspicious as one of them was dressed like a lady. And when the
villagers heard of the robbery at the market they apprehended them and
the next day brought them to the motor park where a mob identified them
as the robbers who attacked the traders the previous day and descended
on them.
One of the angry youths said the suspects were
first attacked with machete before being set ablaze to serve as a
deterrent to other youths who may harbour such evil intentions.
“Okuku
market is popular and traders come from all over the country to do
business here and if our young men are allowed to turn the place to a
robbery haven, then the market will soon cease to exist,” he told our
reporter.
A source at the Divisional Police Station in Okpoma, Yala Local Government Headquarters, under
whose jurisdiction Okuku is located, said before the police could
arrive the market, the mob had already set the suspects ablaze.
Mr
Hogan Bassey, the spokesman of the Cross River Police Command told our
correspondent: “We have had reports like that from the area but we can
only confirm the veracity of such information when the DPO comes to
brief us or sends his briefs which would be within the week and that is
when I can give you the details.”
Robbers have been
terrorising the people of Okuku since last year. They wield guns and
other weapons while carrying out their operations most times in the dead
of the night.
Sometimes they break through ceilings of
buildings to gain access into people’s homes, rob occupants at gun
point and cart away valuables such as cash, expensive phones and TV
sets.
The robbers, who are mostly youths of the
community and their gang members from neighbouring local governments and
Ebonyi State, also raid churches and cart away offerings.
Residents
of Okuku said Thursday’s mob attack on four of them may bring about
respite for them as they have been living in fear following the
incessant attacks.
An idigene of the community, Wonah
Eje, called on the police in the area to fish out the remaining robbers
that may have gone underground and prosecute them so that the coomunity
would have peace once again.
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