Two suspected fraudsters who were beaten to a pulp by an irate mob have been rescued by the Benue State Police in Makurdi, the capital.
It was gathered that the men were accused of trying to defraud a female trader at Wurukum market on Tuesday, March 4, 2025.
A resident of the area, Alam KingDavid Shiter claimed the men posed as preachers and allegedly hypnotized the woman. He said she was about to hand over the sum of N180k to them when they rescued her.
“This afternoon, these elderly men were caught behind my house attempting to scam a woman using the technique of preaching to her while they use juju to back up.
The incident occurred behind my residence close to Athans Secondary School in Wurukum. The victim, who is a market woman, had been influenced by the scammer’s juju and was in the process of handing over her money, totaling approximately 180k. Fortunately, we heard from the window and rushed to rescue her, while the perpetrators were apprehended,” he wrote.
“Upon further investigation, we discovered on them a timetable, revealing a coordinated effort to target victims across various markets in Benue State. The scammers had compiled a list of over 300 victims, along with their phone numbers, and would regularly contact them to demand money and valuables under the influence of their supposed powers, the 300 names and contact are only from January to this month.”
Meanwhile, the Majority Leader Gwer East Legislative Council, Benue State, Fred Ornguga, who confirmed the incident, said the suspects were about to be lynched when he and other people alerted the police.
”We saved the lives of two money doublers who were apprehended by some angry mobs at Athans college opposite UBA behind Wurukum market makurdi. These two guys were almost lynched. On approaching the scene, we quickly called the police and they responded immediately to calm the situation. We are strongly advocating for a fair trial no matter the offence committed. Jungle Justice is inhuman and unacceptable in a civilized society.”
