Those of us who live in cities and have surpassed
this traditional thing, do not know how God has redeemed us from this
unbelievable tradition. Read the story;
A 32-year-old man, Mr. Simon Mbam, of Izzi Local
Government Area of Ebonyi State has committed suicide after he was tortured by
some villagers for allegedly stealing N1,000 from a shop in the market.
The victim, who jumped into a pond in the area
last weekend, found himself in the mess when he left his house in the evening
of the fateful day to buy drinks with his friends.
While late Simon and his friends were busy
sipping their drinks, the owner of the shop raised an alarm over a missing
N1,000 in his carton of drinks, but no customer admitted to haven taken the
money.
The alarm raised by the shop owner attracted
villagers who stormed the scene and gave the suspects till the following day to
return the money or face the consequences.
It was learned that the said missing money was
found at the door step of the shop, but when the villagers who were determined
to get to the root of the matter gathered, the owner of the shop insisted on
knowing the person behind the act.
It was further gathered that the suspect, who
later confessed to the crime, was allegedly beaten by the irate villagers until
he started bleeding and losing consciousness.
They demanded that he should be treated like a
thief, even as he was fined two goats, two crates of beer and N5,000, which
were immediately provided by the suspect’s mother (names withheld).
It was gathered that the village head rejected
what the suspect’s mother brought, insisting that an additional N5,000 should
be provided so that the matter would be completely resolved without involving
the police.
This second demand by the villagers made the
suspect, who felt humiliated by the entire process, escape from his captors and
jumped into Aku Pond, which was not far from the market square.
All efforts to rescue him on time proved abortive
as he drowned before his body was retrieved by the villagers. Meanwhile, four
persons including the village head, had been arrested by the police after the
mother of the victim reported the matter.
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