Suspected robber beaten to stupor in Lagos

Dare Animashaun, a suspected robber was stripped naked and beaten to a stupor by an irate mob after a failed operation on Saturday morning.

According to The Nation, the unlucky robber, who claimed to be 19 years old is a member of a two-man gang that specialises in robbing innocent residents at dawn in the Agbelekale area of Abule Egba, a Lagos suburb.

The duo had robbed a number of passers-by on the Ekoro-Abule Road until about 5: 40 a.m when they robbed one Hope Osa of his handsets and undisclosed cash at gun point. Instead of giving up his valuables easily to the robbers, Hope summoned courage and gave the fleeing robbers a hot chase shouting; “thief, thief’’ without any help from passers-by.

To deceive people, the robbers too were said to have shouted ‘thief, thief to confuse bystanders as to who the real thief was. By the time they got to Omi Ata bus stop along the road, Animashaun’s partner who was holding the gang’s locally made pistol had bolted leaving him behind.

Chased by the victim to Adeniyi Street, the suspect jumped into a building on the street while Hope raised the alarm that attracted residents, who combed the houses and smoked out Animashaun out of a toilet where he was hiding.
The angry residents punched, kicked and slapped the suspect before tying him to a stake after stripping him naked.

 ‘’ I did not know how I gathered the courage to pursue them as they fled on foot on the Agbelekale-Ekoro road. As I ran after them I was shouting ‘’thief, thief’’ but passers-by did not come to my aid until one of the robbers bolted but I kept pursuing this one (Animashaun) and when he knew that I was unrelenting he jumped into a building on this street following which I raised the alarm that attracted residents.