HOW SUSPECTS TORTURED UNIJOS GRADUATE TO DEATH OVER MISSING IPHONE 12
Read Time:3 Minute, 12 Second
By; Sunmola Ganiyat
The Plateau State Police Command has arrested four suspects over the alleged mob killing of a University of Jos graduate, Ibrahim Pilasar Mbaya, popularly known as Ibee, who was reportedly accused of stealing an iPhone 12.
The suspects, who recounted their alleged roles during police interrogation, spoke in a video shared by Manari TV on Tuesday.
Mbaya, a Political Science graduate who was awaiting mobilisation for the National Youth Service Corps, allegedly died after he was attacked over the missing phone.
The prime suspect, 30-year-old Emmanuel Newyear, admitted hitting Mbaya three times with a wooden plank.
Newyear, who had earlier been identified by the police as the principal suspect seen in a viral video assaulting Mbaya, said he first slapped the deceased before striking him with the plank.
He claimed he attacked Mbaya because he believed the victim was withholding information about the missing phone.
According to Newyear, Mbaya mentioned three different locations where the phone was allegedly hidden, prompting the suspects to search the areas, but the device was not found.
Newyear said he later instructed others not to assault Mbaya before leaving to rest.
However, he claimed that when he returned about one or two hours later, he found a crowd gathered around the deceased, who had allegedly been severely assaulted and had his hair tied with barbed wire.
The owner of the missing phone, 25-year-old Rinji Daniel Fwanji, also narrated how Mbaya came to spend the night at his residence after they returned from an event in the early hours of July 26.
Daniel said he woke up around 4 a.m. and discovered that both Mbaya and his iPhone 12 were missing.
He said repeated calls to Mbaya initially went unanswered until another person used a different phone to contact him, after which Mbaya agreed to return.
Daniel alleged that Mbaya had previously taken some of his belongings and said he initially intended to pursue the matter through legal means.
When asked who first assaulted Mbaya, Daniel identified Emmanuel Newyear.
He also confirmed that the missing iPhone had not been recovered.
Another suspect, Joshua Tell, admitted helping to restrain Mbaya while he was being tied, saying he held the deceased’s legs during the assault.
Nensemka Fwanji, Daniel’s brother, said he witnessed the assault and later rushed Mbaya to the hospital after seeing the extent of his injuries.
He said he found Mbaya severely beaten when he returned to the room and was the person who took him to the hospital.
Asked whether the missing phone had been recovered, Nensemka said it had not.
Meanwhile, Mbaya’s younger sister has called for justice, demanding that everyone involved in her brother’s death be prosecuted.
She described Mbaya as a peaceful and hardworking person and said she had never known him to be involved in stealing.
The Plateau State Police Command had earlier announced the arrest of Emmanuel Newyear, Rinji Daniel Fwanji and Nensemka Fwanji before confirming Joshua Tell as the fourth suspect in custody.
Police spokesperson, SP Alfred Alabo, said preliminary investigations indicated that Mbaya was accused of stealing an iPhone 12 but was allegedly assaulted instead of being handed over to the authorities.
According to the police, the suspects allegedly beat Mbaya until he became unconscious before taking him to the Jos University Teaching Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
The command said two other suspects linked to the incident remained at large, adding that efforts were ongoing to arrest them.
The police also said the suspects already in custody would be charged to court after the conclusion of investigations.
The killing has generated widespread condemnation, with students, civil society groups, the National Association of Nigerian Students and other members of the public demanding justice and calling for the prosecution of all those responsible.
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