The Plateau State Police Command confirmed the assassination of a commercial driver in Jos by hoodlums on Thursday.
It was discovered that the commercial driver, Fwinbe Thomas, had grazed a motorcycle rider with his car while travelling home after work.
However, some hoodlums who were enraged by the occurrence claimed to have chased the driver down Tudun Wada Ring Road in Jos on their motorcycles and killed him.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the spokesman for the Plateau State Police Command, Alabo Alfred, denounced the hoodlums’ actions while also confirming the driver’s death.
The statement read in part, “The Commissioner of Police, Plateau State Police Command, CP Okoro Julius Alawari, is miffed with and totally condemns the unlawful killing of one Mr. Fwinbe Thomas, who was found lying in a pool of his blood along Tudun Wada Ring Road, Hwolshe in Jos.
“Sequel to a report of the incident by a credible informant on September 25, 2023, at about 2230 hours, the Police Patrol Team attached to Anglo-Jos Division swiftly rushed to the scene of the cruel incident, where they found the victim lying in a pool of his blood beside a damaged Suzuki Mini Bus with Reg. No.: KWK 536 XA, with multiple injuries on his head.
“The victim is suspected to have been cruelly beaten to death by some hoodlums, suspected to be commercial motorcyclists popularly known as “Okada Riders,” whose operation in Jos Metropolis/Bukuru metropolis is illegal.
“Photographs of the victim were taken, the vehicle was towed to the station, and the body of the victim was taken to the Plateau Specialist Hospital, where he was confirmed dead by a medical doctor. The corpse has been deposited at the hospital’s mortuary for autopsy.”
The statement emphasized that efforts to apprehend the hoodlums who killed Fwinbe Thomas are ongoing.
It added, “The commissioner appeals for calm, as the police are already on top of the situation.
“He assures Plateau residents that the perpetrators of the dastardly act will not evade justice, as there is no hiding place for evil-doers in the state.
“The Plateau Police boss also sends a stern warning to executors of “Jungle Justice” to desist from such lawlessness, as the command under his watch will not spare any person found culpable of such an inhuman act.
“He emphasised the need for citizens to allow law enforcement agencies to take charge of such cases instead of taking laws into their own hands.
“Investigation into this case is still ongoing, and further development will be made available to the public in due course.
“The CP further uses this medium to inform the general public that the ban on the use of motorcycles, popularly known as Okada, within Jos Metropolis and Bukuru is still in force.”
