C’River mob burns two suspected robbers to death

Two suspected robbers were burnt to death along Ekpo Abasi, near Yellow Duke Street, in Calabar South Local Government Area of Cross River State after they were allegedly caught stealing a mobile phone.

Eyewitnesses who spoke to PUNCH Metro on Sunday in Calabar said the incident happened when the suspects reportedly snatched a phone from a resident and attempted to flee.

A resident of the area, Bassey Etim, said the suspects were attacked and apprehended by an angry mob who accused them of being part of a robbery gang terrorising the area.

He noted that the mob descended on the suspects and set them ablaze before security operatives could arrive at the scene, adding that both victims died on the spot.

“This kind of incident is shocking. They have been terrorising this area lately. They collect people’s phones and properties. This one, they robbed students of their phones, and today luck was not on their side.

“They stole people’s phones and wanted to run away, but they were caught. The people dealt with them, and they died on the spot,” he said.

Another resident, Effanga Effanga, while condemning the mob attack on the suspects, said armed robbery cases involving phone theft had been on the increase in the area. He called on security operatives to salvage the situation in the area.

“There is no justification in burning anyone. No matter the gravity of the crime. It is very pitiful to die because of an ordinary phone. You allow yourself to be in the news in a bad light.

“Though this phone theft has been a recurring thing in this part of the state, I want to call on the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies to flash their light around Ekpo Abasi and fish out those criminal elements in the area,” Effanga said.

The Cross River State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Sunday Eitokpah, confirmed the incident in a statement released to journalists on Sunday in Calabar, saying preliminary information indicated that the two men were allegedly apprehended and attacked by a mob after they were suspected of being involved in a robbery.

The statement partly read, “The Cross River State Police Command is aware of an incident involving the death of two unidentified men along Ekpo Abasi, near Yellow Duke in Calabar South LGA, in the early hours of today, 30 August 2026.”

He noted that the command received information about the mob action and immediately deployed operatives to the scene, where the two persons suspected to be robbers were found burnt and their bodies evacuated.

“Police operatives visited the scene, documented the incident, and commenced preliminary investigations to establish the circumstances surrounding the death and identify the deceased.

“The remains have been evacuated from the scene with the assistance of the relevant local government authorities for appropriate preservation,” ASP Eitokpah said.

The police spokesperson condemned the act of jungle justice and urged members of the public to desist from taking the law into their own hands and to report suspected criminals to the nearest police station for proper investigation and prosecution.

“The command urges members of the public to desist from jungle justice and always hand suspected offenders over to the police or other lawful authorities for investigation and prosecution.

“No individual has the right to take the law into their own hands. Further details will be provided as the investigation progresses,” the statement read.