A yet-to-be-named member of a local vigilante group in Benin, Edo State, has been arrested for allegedly killing an yet-to-be-named member of a local vigilante group in Benin, Edo State, has been arrested for allegedly killing an artisan and setting his corpse ablaze.
The incident occurred between Wednesday night and Thursday, February 21/22, 2025.
It was gathered that on the fateful day, the victim identified as Lasan Osaze Erhabor and his friend were returning home late in the night when the suspect who was on night guard duty at a sawmill, accosted them on a road close to the sawmill.
The suspect who reportedly questioned the deceased why he was returning late, allegedly labelled him a thief and accused him of coming to steal in the sawmill.
It was further learnt that, during the interrogation, the suspect who was armed with a double-barrel-gun, shot the deceased to death, dragged his lifeless body into the sawmill, covered it with sawdust and set it ablaze.
The Edo State Police Command spokesman, CSP Moses Yamu, who confirmed the incident on Sunday, said operatives of the Textile Mill Road Division arrested the suspect at about 8 am on February 20, 2025.
“The Divisional Police Officer in charge of the Textile Mill road division received a distress call at about 8am on Thursday, February 20, 2025, from members of the public that they saw a corpse of a middle-aged man covered with sawdust and set ablaze
“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, found that there was a gun shot injury on the back of the deceased’s neck.
“Investigation has already commenced, and we have one suspect in our custody who is the security person of the sawmill at the time the incident happened,” he said.
