A young man named Opuofoni Freeborn Ebomotimi, was brutally murdered by angry mobs for stealing bread on Tuesday morning, July 11, at the Honeyhill section of Tombia, Bayelsa State.
The deceased suspect, Opuofoni Freeborn Ebimotimi who is from Korokorosei community of Southern Ijaw Local Government area. The late Opuofuoni was reportedly a first class graduate of the University Of Ibadan, where he studied Business Administration.
According to neighbors and eye witness reports, when Ebimotimi was attacked by the angry mob, they tried to intervene by pleading with the mob to set him free. They also begged to pay twice the price of the stolen bread, but were declined by the angry youths who went ahead to kill the young man.
The younger sister to the deceased, Opuofoni Freeborn Idisemi, opened up about how unbearable life has been for the family since the demise of their father. She added that her brother’s action which led to his untimely death was strange as he has never been associated with stealing. According to her, they have been through worse situations and despite that, Ebimotimi had never stolen anything in his life.
Idisemi further recounted the family having rich uncles and relatives, but none of them had ever extended a helping hand to them.
The “mob action” had been trending on social media for much of Tuesday in Nigeria.
Jungle justice has been a recurring issue in Nigeria especially in poor and deprived neighborhoods where instant justice mobs appear out of nowhere to take laws into their hands.
