Cable thief set ablaze on Easter Monday despite pleading for mercy

Youth of Obot Idim, Ibesikpo Asutan, Akwa Ibom, state set a suspected cable thief ablaze along Aka Nnung road, Uyo, on Monday.

A video captured the thief pleading for mercy before he was torched.

According to Comrade Efremfon Bassey, a member of the community youths group, vigilant youths of the area had laid ambush and kept vigil for the thieves due to incessant vandalization of electric cables.

“Stealing of armoured cables around these neighbourhoods have become a recurrent problem forcing frequent power outage. We could stay for months without electricity because of the cable vandals,” he was quoted as saying in a report by LIB.

“Each time we report the matter to the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHEDC), which Akwa Ibom is a part, they would ask us to contribute money since we cannot protect power facilities in our area

“So, we had to form ourselves into a vigilance group to keep vigil against the vandals, and lucky for us, today (Easter Monday), God showed us that Jesus Christ did not die in vain by answering our prayers

“They (the thieves) came as a group with all the implements to vandalise the cables, we were lucky to have caught up with one, while others fled. We immediately set him on fire this early morning before Police could come for rescue, because the Police are in the habits of collecting bribes to release criminal suspects”, he said.

Police condemned the action.

“Jungle justice has no place in the criminal justice system,” the state police command said in a statement, adding those behind such illegalities would be made to face the law when caught.”