A group of youths on Tuesday killed and set ablaze an unidentified man for attempting to steal a motorcycle in Ilisan Remo, Ikenne Local Government Area of the state.

The deceased who was alleged to be part of a two-man gang, was said to have attacked an Hausa motorcyclist and wanted to take off with his motorcycle.

According to DAILY POST, it was gathered that while one of the alleged thieves was beaten to death and burnt, the other alleged to be wearing army uniform escaped into one of the buildings after being brutally stabbed.

This however led to chaos as the mob insisted on killing the fleeing suspected thief, dressed in army uniform, who has gone into hiding, saying that they had endured a great deal of suffering at the hands of those who often assault them and take their motorcycles.

According to a statement by the Chairman of Ilisan Development Association, Wemmy Osude, the fleeing suspect sought refuge in a nearby house.

He said, “One of the suspects was caught by a mob and tragically set on fire. The other suspect, who was dressed in an army uniform, sought refuge in a nearby house.

A large crowd of over 200 young northerners gathered outside the house, demanding the release of the suspect. Despite efforts to disperse the mob, they remained defiant.”

A detachment of soldiers in two pick up vans and policemen from the Sagamu Area Command were on ground to curtail the situation.

“The situation intensified until the Army intervened with a commando-style rescue operation, successfully evacuating the suspect.

“During the operation, a shootout occurred as soldiers responded to the increasingly hostile crowd, who began throwing stones and damaging two vehicles.

“The soldiers displayed remarkable bravery and professionalism, using tear gas to disperse the mob and restore order to the area,” Osude added.

Meanwhile, Idereghi Akari, the Assistant Director of Army Public Relations for the 35 Artillery Brigade in Alamala, Abeokuta, stated on Wednesday that the soldier alleged to have been wounded by the Hausas was not a thief while the person killed was a civilian.

He said “The soldier is not a thief. The deceased person is a civilian”.