The Police in Benin, Edo State, has arrested a local vigilante for allegedly killing an artisan and setting his corpse ablaze.
The Public Relations Officer of the State Command, Moses Yamu, who disclosed this on Sunday in Benin City said the suspect was arrested by operatives of the Textile Mill Road Police Division.
He explained that a distress call was received from the members of the public at about 8 am on February 20, 2025.
Yamu said the Divisional Police Officer in charge of the Textile Mill division received the call that they saw a corpse of a middle-aged man laying under sawdust and burning.
“The DPO mobilised and deployed his operatives to the scene and actually found the corpse burning under the sawdust.
“They took the corpse to the hospital, but, they, however, discovered that there was a gunshot injury on the back of the deceased’s neck.
“Investigation has already commenced, and we have one suspect in our custody who was the security person of the sawmill at the time the incident happened, ” he said.
Yamu said the case has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department for in-depth investigations, assuring that at the conclusion of the investigation the suspect would be charged to court for murder.
It was gathered that the deceased identified as Lasan Osaze Erhabor was said to have had a disagreement with the said local vigilante member.
It was also learnt that on the fateful day, the deceased was said to be returning home late in the night with his friend when they were accosted on the road near the sawmill by the suspect.
The suspect who was alleged to have been armed with a double-barrel-gun was said to have questioned the deceased why returning late.
The suspect was also alleged to have labelled the deceased a thief and accused him of coming to steal in the sawmill.
It was further learnt that, during the interrogation, the suspect brought out his gun and shot the deceased.
He was said to have dragged the deceased from the roadside into the sawmill where he allegedly gathered the saw dust in the milling company and set his body ablaze.
