A middle-aged man narrowly escaped being lynched on Saturday after he was attacked by a mob in Oso Edda, Ebonyi State, following a violent protest over a fatal road accident in the area.
A relative of the victim, who spoke with Newsmaxng, said the man was severely beaten, before he was rescued by sympathisers.
According to the account, the incident occurred after a trailer reportedly struck and killed a person in Oso Edda. In the aftermath, angry youths allegedly attacked the trailer drivers.
To top it up, another man was beaten so badly that he almost died.
The latter victim, who is not a trailer driver nor connected to the vehicle involved in the accident, was said to have been in the community at the time to supply goods to customers in the Akaeze/Oso Edda axis.
“On Saturday, my uncle went to supply goods to his customers in Akaeze/Oso Edda,” the source said. “While he was there, the incident with the trailer happened. The youths later descended on him, beat him so badly that he almost died”
The relative explained that the victim’s ordeal began when he was seen taking photographs of his customers, which he described as part of his normal business routine. However, the mob allegedly accused him of filming the violence and refused to listen to his explanation.
“All efforts to make them understand that he wasn’t snapping them failed. They attacked him and beat him severely, especially on his face,” he said.
The victim was initially taken to Mater Hospital in Afikpo but was later transferred to the Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki (FETHA II), on Saturday night due to the severity of his injuries.
A video shared with Newsmaxng showed the man lying in a hospital bed while receiving medical treatment.
As of the time of filing this report, it was unclear whether any arrests had been made in connection with the attack. The incident has sparked renewed concerns over mob justice and the safety of innocent bystanders during violent protests in parts of the country.
Residents have called on security agencies to investigate the incident and ensure that those responsible are brought to justice.
