Lynch mob kills one, court frees two after four years trial
A mob has lynched a man, said to have pilfered a mobile phone, at Iyara community of Warri, in Nigeria’s oil rich Delta state.
The suspect, identified only as Lucky, reportedly attempted to snatch a mobile phone from a young woman.
He is said to have stabbed his victim in the arm as she refused to part with her valuable.
The incident attracted passersby, who swopped on the suspect and inflicted multiple injuries on him. Despite his severe condition, the suspect broke free from the mob. But not for too long as he collapsed while running and died, due to excessive blood loss.
Bright Edafe, a deputy superintendent and spokesperson for the Delta Police Command, confirmed the incident.
Equally, 325 kilometers away at the Ikeja Special Offences Court, Lagos, Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo set free two businessmen accused of N1.8bn fraud
They are Ogbor Eliot and Kelvin Chris. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) accused the duo of N1.8bn fraud. The anti-graft agency said the men committed conspiracy, obtaining money under false pretence, forgery.
Therefore, the defendants and Danium Energy Services Limited were arraigned on October 22, 2018. In the fact of the case, the EFCC alleged the defendants deceived Sterling Bank Plc into lending them money to finance a Local Purchase Order for 20,000 Metric Tonnes of Automotive Gas Oil, for supply to Total Nigeria Limited.
The defendants pleaded ‘not guilty’ and urged the court to uphold their submission that the EFCC ought not have initiated the suit.
Delivering judgment in the suit, Justice Taiwo said, “I have examined the evidence of the prosecution as well as that of the defence. It is clear to me that the issue here is civil in nature, which could have been resolved in a civil matter.
“There is no element of criminality in a loan duly guaranteed by a tank farm in Akwa Ibom State own by first defendant.
“I find and hold that the prosecution failed to establish any element of criminality against the defendants here. Accordingly they are hereby discharged and acquitted.”
