A gang of suspected robbers narrowly escaped lynching on Tuesday when one of their victims recognised their voices and raised alarm in Plateau State.
A witness said the victim had attracted the attention of members of the vigilante who apprehended the suspects and handed them over to the police.
Daily Trust gathered that Gindiri in Mangu LGA of the state has witnessed escalating robbery attacks in the last six months and residents say suspects apprehended and handed over to the police were later released on bail.
Sule Tongman who was a witness to the latest arrest, told Daily Trust that the suspects were three, including a woman whom he claimed was the ring leader, adding that the suspects were handed over to the police who transferred them to Mangu town.
Tongman said, “Armed robbers shot my cousin two weeks ago and last week they attacked a newly wedded couple. They shot the sister of the groom and macheted about three people while the bride was beaten up.”
He said one of the robbers apprehended on Tuesday was a habitual offender adding however that, “Whenever he is arrested, a few days later you will be seeing him in the community again.
“Last month, a suspect broke into some rooms in our house and when a student who was lodging there saw him, he tried to attack him with a machete but the student raised alarm and the suspect was caught, beaten up and taken to the police station.
“The police asked us to leave so that the suspect could write his statement but three days later we saw him in the community.”
When contacted, Plateau State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Tyopev Terna, confirmed the arrest of suspected robbers but said a police patrol vehicle had rescued them before they were lynched and were presently in detention.
ASP Terna assured that due diligence would be followed in the case, adding that the woman in question, said to be the gang leader, was arrested for a separate offence of aiding and abetting someone arrested with substance suspected to be Indian hemp.
