By Fatima Saka
Abuja — A suspected armed robber who had been on the police wanted list in Enugu State was severely beaten by an angry mob after he was caught with a pump-action gun at a market square.
The suspect, identified as Friday Onwujekwu, popularly known as “Nwatico,” was apprehended by residents at Eke Market Square in Akiyi, Umulokpa area of Uzo Uwani Local Government Area.
According to a police situation report obtained on Sunday, the incident occurred around 3:30 p.m. on March 13, 2026, after the police received a distress call that the suspect had been captured by members of the public and was being lynched.
Police sources said Onwujekwu had earlier been declared wanted by the state police command following an alleged attack on a member of a local neighbourhood watch group.
The suspect was accused of attacking Okechukwu Dennis Okoaku on January 10, 2026, at Awkunato Village in Uzo Uwani LGA, where he reportedly dispossessed him of a pump-action gun before fleeing the area.
After months on the run, the suspect was reportedly sighted at the market square while still in possession of the stolen weapon, prompting residents to apprehend him.
“The suspect who had been on the run was caught at Eke Market Square in Akiyi Umulokpa while armed with the same pump-action gun he earlier stole. He was being lynched by an irate mob before police intervened,” a police source said.
The Divisional Police Officer in the area immediately mobilised a patrol team to the scene, where officers rescued the suspect from the mob. However, he had already sustained varying degrees of injuries from the beating.
The suspect was first taken to the Police Clinic in Enugu for urgent treatment before being referred to the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Ituku-Ozalla, where he is currently receiving medical attention.
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Police authorities said the case has since been transferred to the Command’s Crack Squad in Enugu for further investigation.
Meanwhile, security sources said the general security situation in the state remains calm, with police sustaining patrols and surveillance operations across communities.
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