In a tragic incident on October 1, 2023, an unidentified young man met his demise as he was set on fire by an enraged mob. The mob's anger was directed towards the man for allegedly attempting to steal a generator from a new generation church located on Atiku Abubakar Road in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
According to an eyewitness, Amb Dignity Usenekong, who provided an account of the incident, the suspect was apprehended on the night of Sunday, October 1, 2023. The mob, before setting him on fire, subjected him to brutal machete attacks.
Usenekong shared this tragic news on Facebook, stating, "Burning in this picture is a young man who chose to sacrifice himself today. I mean, it’s a thief who was caught today 1st October 2023 while attempting to steal a generator in a new generation church in my neighborhood, Atiku Abubakar Avenue after putting off the generator that was on."
"The mob descended on him with lots of machete cuts and bruises from stones before finally dragging him out to the tarred road today and setting him ablaze," he narrated.
Usenekong, while condemning such acts of jungle justice, emphasized that people should refrain from stealing. He expressed a belief that the young man had met an untimely end but was confident that he was in heaven, as the man was reportedly confessing and reciting the Lord's Prayer before being set ablaze.
Another eyewitness, who posted pictures of the incident on Facebook, mentioned that despite the gruesome act, some individuals still dared to commit theft in the area, with a robbery occurring around 2 am the previous Saturday.
