Tout Brothers Lynched, Set Ablaze In Onitsha Over Extortion, Robbery

By Julie Sylvia, Onitsha

Two tout brothers from same parents were on Wednesday afternoon, reportedly lynched and set ablaze by angry mob at Haruna/Bida junction, within the Onitsha Central mosque axis, near Onitsha Main market, for extorting and robbing tricycle and commercial bus drivers.

According to eye witness, the brothers, simply identified as Omuma and Sunday, were extorting and robbing the drivers and their passengers not minding the launch of anti touting squad by Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo recently at Upper Iweka, Onitsha.

They were said to have met their untimely death when their victims, with the assistance of sympathizers and onlookers, mobilized, turned into mob, lynched and set the two ablaze.

According to a trader there who pleaded anonymity, “Those two touts have been terrorising us, this is not the first time they have been robbing and extorting traders, tricycle and bus drivers. That Governor Soludo launched anti touting squad does not concern them.

“Today their cup is full, they are from the same parents and one seniors the other. They are a terror group and always operated within main market axis. Everybody knows them and their members and they belong to one terrorist called Ikanda.

“We are happy with what happened and they have other members who may be on the run but may resurface when the coast is clear. Soludo should beam his search light on the group. They are the main touts in Onitsha,” he further disclosed.

Also speaking, a woman trader who simply identified herself as Queen, identified them as having on two occasions robbed her, and pleaded to Governor Soludo to investigate the group aimed at arresting the fleeing members adding that sometimes they operate in tricycles.

“They operate in tricycles sometimes and rob the unsuspecting public. They did not know that hardship that is telling on the people would cause their death and we are happy about that.

“They don’t want to know about the launch of the anti touting. They operate in the open and people fear them including some security operatives because they attack them too,” she stated.

Pic shows the burnt bodies of the two tout brothers