A National Youth Service Corps member lost his life after members of a community vigilante group beat him during a night patrol in Buruku Local Government Area of Benue State.
The incident took place on Sunday night in the Mbajor settlement near the local government secretariat.
The victim, Ben Agir, was on his way when the group stopped him. They suspected him of stealing a motorcycle.
Before he could show his identification or explain the situation, one of the leaders began to beat him.
The others joined in and continued until he fell into a coma.
They later took him to a hospital, but he did not survive.
The chairman of Buruku Local Government Area, Raymond Aondoakura, confirmed the details on Thursday.
He said the report reached him early on Monday morning.
“They caught him and thought he was a bike snatcher,” the chairman explained.
“Before he could present his ID card, they started beating him.”
Local authorities have since arrested the vigilantes involved and handed them over to the police.
The council has also suspended all vigilante operations in the area until proper rules are in place.
However, the NYSC Public Relations Officer in Benue State, Mrs Veronica Ogwuche, noted that early checks suggest Agir was not serving in Benue.
He may have been posted to Gombe State instead.
Efforts to get a comment from the Benue State Police Public Relations Officer did not yield any response at the time of this report.
This event has raised fresh concerns about how community security groups operate at night and the need for better training and oversight to avoid such tragedies.
