A yet-to-be-identified man was almost lynched by residents of Akure, Ondo State, on Wednesday for allegedly raping a lady.
The suspect was also alleged to have plucked out the woman’s eyes.
The details of how the man perpetrated the act were still sketchy as both the suspect and the victim were reported to be receiving treatment in a hospital.
It was gathered that a resident of Oluwatuyi area of Akure caught the suspect in the act and raised the alarm, as residents thronged the scene.
The mob was said to have beaten him to a pulp.
A witness, who did not want to be identified, said, “When he was caught, people asked him questions, but he was speaking in Hausa; he could not even say his name or where he came from.”
The witness said the timely arrival and intervention of the police prevented the suspect from being set ablaze by the mob.
A video clip showed the suspect tied with a rope, while the mob beat him with planks and slippers.
The victim, who had different bruises on her body, lay unconscious on the floor.
When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Tee-Leo Ikoro, said the suspect was from the Tiv area of Benue State.
Ikoro said, “He would have been killed on the spot by the mob. We can’t say if he raped the lady until a doctor proves that. The lady has some bruises on her head and both of them were unconscious when the police got there.
“I have spoken to the lady and the suspect and they are in stable condition; we’re investigating the matter, but we’re trying to allow the suspect to be stable so he can say more.
“The victim’s eyes were not plucked; the two eyes are okay, and the lady only has bruises on the head and a cut also on the head.”
