A 32-year-old man, Mr. Simon Mbam, of Izzi
Local Government Area of Ebonyi State has
committed suicide after he was tortured by
some villagers for allegedly stealing N1,000
from a shop in the market.
The victim, who jumped into a pond in the
area last weekend, found himself in the mess
when he left his house in the evening of the
fateful day to buy drinks with his friends.
While late Simon and his friends were busy
sipping their drinks, the owner of the shop
raised an alarm over a missing N1,000 in his
carton of drinks, but no customer admitted to
haven taken the money.
The alarm raised by the shop owner attracted
villagers who stormed the scene and gave the
suspects till the following day to return the
money or face the consequences.
It was learned that the said missing money
was found at the door step of the shop, but
when the villagers who were determined to get
to the root of the matter gathered, the owner
of the shop insisted on knowing the person
behind the act.
Vanguard further gathered that the suspect,
who later confessed to the crime, was
allegedly beaten by the irate villagers until he
started bleeding and losing consciousness.
They demanded that he should be treated like
a thief, even as he was fined two goats, two
crates of beer and N5,000, which were
immediately provided by the suspect’s mother
(names withheld).
It was gathered that the village head rejected
what the suspect’s mother brought, insisting
that an additional N5,000 should be provided
so that the matter would be completely
resolved without involving the police.
This second demand by the villagers made
the suspect, who felt humiliated by the entire
process, escape from his captors and jumped
into Aku Pond, which was not far from the
market square.
All efforts to rescue him on time proved
abortive as he drowned before his body was
retrieved by the villagers.
Meanwhile, four persons including the village
head, had been arrested by the police after the
mother of the victim reported the matter.
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