Hit and run driver escapes mob action in Abuja

A hit and run driver on Saturday narrowly escaped death from an irate mob at the Kugbo mechanic village, Abuja, after he reportedly hit and injured four persons along the Nyanya-Mararaba highway.

PREMIUM TIMES is yet to verify reported casualties. But a reporter on ground was told by some witnesses that the driver, suspected to be drunk, hit many pedestrians along the highway.

He “killed some”, before ramming into another vehicle, which hurtled into a gully along the ever-busy highway, witnesses said.

They said the driver, after seeing the destruction he caused with his Toyota Camry (Muscle) car, drove at high speed into the mechanic village as he tried to escape from angry commercial motorcyclists and car owners who tried to apprehend him.

He then ran into a mob, which had already been alerted about the accident. They immediately pulled him out of the car and assaulted him.

The reporter sighted a riotous mob assaulting the suspect from afar, even as some tried to stop the group of mostly youth from extrajudicial actions.

Witnesses said the suspect, who behaved “like a uniformed military or paramilitary personnel” did not “look remorseful” and this angered the mob who beat him up and blocked his car at the village entrance.

Military personnel stationed across the highway later rescued the suspect and handed him over to some policemen from the Karu division.

“He ‘killed many people’ and was trying to escape into the market when we caught him,” a witness said. “He would have been killed by many of this armed youth who were ready to spill blood.”

However, another said the suspect only “injured four persons including my brother whom I hope survives. I also pray they do not sweep the matter under the carpet because we saw him showing the soldiers an ID card. I think that is why they saved him from the angry crowd.”

As of the time of filing the report, a team led by a plainclothes policewoman was already at the scene to evacuate the badly damaged car.

The officer was also seen thanking the crowd for allowing the police to handle the matter.