Di 32 year old man wey mob beat to death for Yenagoa, Bayelsa State say e allegedly steal bread dey known to be emotionally ‘unstable’.
Dis na wetin some of di 32 year old Ebimotimi Freeborn Opuofoni relatives and neighbours tok about am.
BBC Pidgin find out say no be a loaf of bread e allegedly toff as tori bin cari but na bag of ‘madiga’, wey be a by-product from bread.
‘Madiga’ na one local delicacy from bakeries wey dey like bread but e hard pass am small and dem dey serve am snacks for small children and adults alike wey dem dey chop wit butter or eat alone.
Who be Ebimotimi Freeborn
Ebimotimi Freeborn na from Korokosei, one coastal settlement for Southern Ijaw Local goment area of Bayelsa state.
E neva marry and e dey unemployed even though im be a 2018 Business Administration graduate of Lead City University, Ibadan Oyo State.
A family friend Kenneth Amewuga say Freeborn na brilliant young man wey graduate wit Second Class Upper division from Lead City University.
E explain say di late graduate dey known for di area to be mentally unstable, and sometimes e dey ‘pick’ phones from pipo only to troway am for bush or destroy am but e no dey go sell am.
E add say dis im behaviour push im papa into thinking and e later die some few years ago.
E note say Freeborn don even serve di National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) years back but di lack of job, also contribute to im mental situation.
How di incident happen?
Amewuga say e dey surprised say pipo beat Freeborn to death sake of madiga wey e take.
E add say, “Freeborn leave im neighbourhood wia pipo know about im mental health status to anoda street, wia di bakery dey located.
“Afta e successfully carry away di bag of madiga, dem catch am as e dey go wit di bag and dem come beat am for di scene.”
Anoda pesin wey dey live near di bakery for Tombia area of Yenagoa, Barisuka Witor, say im hear voice wey dey beg pipo to stop to beat am.
E say di incident happen around 4:50am on dat fateful day and wen he come out of im house, Freeborn don die.
Witor explain say family members of Freeborn and im community pipo mobilize and burn down di bakery and houses of those wey allegedly beat am to death.
‘I dey heartbroken’
Di tori of di death of Freeborn na big blow to di family – na so so cry dem dey cry.
One of im sisters, Beauty Edisemi Opufoni tearfully tell BBC Pidgin say she dey heartbroken at di death of her brother as she least expect am.
She say even though her brother na graduate, for di past three to four years im dey look for job.
“I don’t know wat to say. My brother don die. I neva even see im deadibodi sef becos dem don put am for mortuary. Our father don die some years back so nobodi, na just us dey,” she tok.
Police for Bayelsa State don arrest three suspects wey allegedly participate in di killing of di 32-year-old man.
Tok tok pesin for Bayelsa State Police Command SP Asinim Butswat for statement say di suspects dey part of di crowd wey mob Freeborn to death.
“We arrest di suspects around for Tombia-Amassoma Road afta mob lynch am to death for allegedly stealing bread. Di Command condemn dis action of di mob and we warn members of di public not to take laws into dia hands.” E tok.
Recently, some pipo die from mob action like Madam Itagbor wey some youths burn to death for Akamkpa Cross River state on accuse say she be witch.
Police for Cross River arrest 26 pesins wey dey help dem for di investigations after which dem go charge dem to court.
For May 2022, angry mob burn one student of Shehu Shagari College of Education Deborah Samuel to death for Sokoto, Northern Nigeria to death on accusation of blasphemy.
For 2012, mob beat and burn to death four students of di University of Port Harcourt for Rivers state. Di popular Aluu Four.
Di sad part be say most of di victims of mob action no dey get justice for many reasons.
One Dr Agwanwo Destiny wey be criminologist for di Sociology department of di University of Port Harcourt bin tell BBC say, “di failure of di criminal justice system na one very important reasons why dis tins still dey happun”.
