An angry mob in Achoho, a settlement in Gwer East Local Government Area, Benue State, has set ablaze a 22-year-old man identified simply as Botswar.
Botswar was accused of molesting and killing his brother’s wife on Friday last week.
Botswar had accompanied the victim to the farm on the fateful day but the two did not return home.
Investigation revealed that the alleged rapist/murderer and the victim both belonged to the Ayisa Family of Achoho settlement.
During a search, the woman’s lifeless body was found on the ground with signs of rape and machete cuts on her nape and nose.
Botswar was later traced to Tse-Agberagba, the headquarters of Konshisha LGA where his mother remarried after her first marriage.
Angry youths were said to have caught him at Agidi on their way back and they did not waste time dispensing jungle justice by setting him ablaze after he was alleged to have confessed to the rape and murder of the victim.
A source in the community who pleaded anonymity said: “The woman was Botswar’s brother’s wife. He was last seen with the woman on Friday on their way to the farm and they did not return.
“When the victim’s body was evacuated on Saturday, it was discovered that Botswar struck the woman with a cutlass on her head and nose, and when she fell on the ground, he took her to under a mango tree where he raped her.
It’s like the woman resisted him when he started making moves to sleep with her. So, while she was pushing a wheelbarrow in his front as they were returning from the farm, Botswar butchered and raped her.”
The source said the mob did not hand the suspect over to the police because they feared that they might set him free.
The Divisional Police Officer in Tse-Agberagba, Konshisha Local Government Area, could not be reached for comment at press time.
