Okpe: A 22-year old man has died after he was allgedly given 12 strokes of the cane by his community youth chairman for allegedly stealing N2,000 in Mereje town, Okpe Local Government Area of Delta State.
It was learnt that the the victim allegedly stole N2,000 belonging to someone in the community and after inquiries, it was alleged that the victim was the one who stole the money.
As a result, the matter was reported to the community youth leader who ordered that the victim be brought to him for interrogation.
But as the interrogation was going on under the supervision of the youth leader, he allegedly ordered that the suspect be given 12 strokes of the cane.
The instruction was carried out. But in the course of inflicting the punishment, the victim fell down and was gasping for breath.
As a result, The Pointer gathered, he was immediately taking to the hospital in Oreokpe town where doctors battled to save his life. Unfortunately he gave up the ghost.
Contacted, Delta State Police Commissioner, Mr. Zanna Mohammed Ibrahim, confirmed the incident, adding that the youth leader of Mereje Community was now in police net after he voluntarily turned himself in after the incident.
He confirmed that from investigation, the principal suspect, one Mr. Emmanuel Mateim, youth chairman of Mereje town who allegedly led some other members of his Executive Commitee (exco) to commit the crime had been arrested while efforts were on to arrest others now at large.
Meanwhile, the police said the corpse of the victim has been deposited in a hospital mortuary in the area, alleging that irate youths from the community had burnt down the chairman’s house over the incident.
