From Uchenna Ezeadigwe, Awka
Four suspected armed robbers who had been terrorizing Okpoko and its environs, in the Ogbaru local government area, Anambra state, were reportedly killed by irate residents.
The incident which occurred on Monday and Tuesday took place at the same spot, along the Onitsha/Asaba expressway in Okpoko, close to Afia Coke market.
Source who does not want his name in print reported that two were burnt alive on Monday while two clubbed to death on Tuesday.
The two that were burnt alive on Monday were said to have robbed their victims at gun-point while driving on tricycle.
According to a trader at the Afia oke market who pleaded anonymity, “they were three in that Keke when they robbed two people of their money, handsets and other belongings.”
“The victims started shouting on top of their voices and this attracted the attention of the traders who mobilized immediately and caught the two that they burnt alive. The third robber escaped.
“The next day, Tuesday, another set of armed robbers robbed some traders at the same spot and were pursued until they jumped into the drainage system, abandoning their tricycle
“The angry mob went after them, throwing pebbles, stones, planks at them until they eventually died,’’ the eye witness concluded
Recall that since the attack on security operatives and their formations, especially the police, armed robbers have continued to terrorize residents of Onitsha and environs.
The chairman of the tricycle operators in the state, Chief Sylvester Obiora, while dissociating his members from the robberies, stated that “we now register every Keke to help in tracking anyone involved in criminal activity.”
“We work with the police to fish them out and we have been succeeding. They tarnish our image and we are out to fight them. They are not our members,” stated.
