Phone thieves set 12-year-old ablaze

A 12-year-old boy, simply identified as Ojonugwa, has been set ablaze by some petty thieves who specialise in stealing handsets in Ogugu, Olamaboro Local Government Area of Kogi State at the weekend. 

An eyewitness disclosed that the boy was set on fire by the thieves to prevent him from exposing them and disclosing their identities after stealing a mobile phone.

It was gathered that the young boy knew the identity of thieves who stole the phone and in a bid to stop him from exposing them or testifying against them, they ordered him to lay on the floor and close his eyes, before he was set ablaze.

According to the source, as soon as the thieves sped off on their bikes, the boy got up and threw himself into a drum of water. After crying for help, he was immediately rescued by people who rushed him to the hospital for medical attention. 

Meanwhile, the Chief of Staff to Kogi State governor, Chief Edward Onoja, was on hand to pay a solidarity visit to the boy in the hospital. 

Chief Onoja, who happened to come from the same local government area with the boy, promised that the perpetuators would be brought to book. He was elated that the little boy was brave enough to have jumped into a drum of water.

He assured him that the efforts put in place by the state government to curb criminality in will not be in vain, stressing that the hospital bill would be offset by the state.

However, efforts to speak with the Police Public Relation Officer, Mr. William Ayah, on the incident proved abortive.