The Bayelsa State Police Command has apprehended three suspects for killing a man who allegedly stole bread from a bakery.
Ebimotimi Freeborn, 32, was accused of always visiting the bakery at night to steal Madiga, a locally baked bread, but fell out of luck when the suspecting workers in the bakery set an ambush caught him in the act, Straightnews learnt.
A first-class graduate of the University of Ibadan, Ebimotimi was killed in the early hours of Sunday at Honeyhill, Tombia in Bayelsa State for allegedly stealing bread.
Ebimotimi from Korokorosei community of Southern Ijaw Local Government area bagged Business Administration (B.Sc) at the University of Ibadan.
According to sources, he had successfully stolen loaves of bread that night but returned on another round when he was caught red-handed and beaten to death.
A statement issued by Police Public Relations Officer SP Asinim Butswat said: “The suspects, Preye Mathew, 50, female, Theophilus Tiro, 28, male, and Famous Precious, 22, male, were arrested on July 9, 2023, at about 5 pm, at Tombia-Amassoma Road, after an angry mob lynched the suspect to death for allegedly stealing bread.”
The suspects, according to the statement, are undergoing interrogation and will be charged in court at the conclusion of the investigation.
Younger sister of the deceased, Idisemi Opuofoni Freeborn said neighbours and friends who saw the incident rushed to the scene of the actions and pleaded with the angry youths to allow him to live, promising to pay for the bread in double folds, but the angry youths declined the plead and killed him.
According to her, life has been unfair to them since the demise of their father, adding that hunger led him to steal bread.
“We are seven in our family and life has been hard after our father died. I wrote WAEC since 2019 and has not been able to proceed to the University because of funds,” she lamented.
