A 22-year-old man was on Sunday evening set ablaze by an angry mob for allegedly stealing an Android mobile phone at Atimbo area of Calabar Municipality Local Government Area of Cross River.

An eye witness, who narrated the incident, said the man, identified simply as Eyo, was known for petty stealing around the area and had been warned severally to desist from such.

The eyewitness, who pleaded anonymity, disclosed that the young man committed the offence on Saturday and disappeared into thin air only to reappear on Sunday.

“I have known Eyo from secondary school and he has always been stealing. There was a time he stole half of the class school fees.

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“Even as we grew into our 20s, Eyo became audacious in stealing and more notorious. He was always caught stealing, this is not the first time a mob action was carried out on him, he only met his end today.

“They started by beating him with cutlass before setting him ablaze. Funny enough, it’s just for stealing an android phone,” he stated.

Reacting, the Cross River State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Irene Ugbo, who confirmed the incident, decried the act.

While noting that it was unlawful for people to take laws into their hands, Ugbo said the rightful thing to do was to have reported the suspect to the nearest police station in the area.

“Killing him in the most gruesome manner through mob action is not only barbaric, it is illegal and unacceptable,” the police spokesperson said.

The Star