Vigilante kills youth at smoking joint in Delta community

By Dave Okpogadie, Asaba

There is tension in Bomadi, headquarters of Bomadi Local Government Area of Delta State due to the killing of a youth by a local vigilante member who shot the youth dead in an undisclosed operation at Bomadi.

Though, information is sketchy, an eye witness account revealed that a group of Bomadi Local Government Area Vigilante stormed a smoking joint at Bomadi-Overside, Saturday evening, in a yet-to-be known operation.

The eye witness said the vigilante group stormed the joint and everybody fled except the deceased, whose name is Paddy Ekrika, with whom they  interacted before he was shot but nobody knew what led to the shooting.

“Then, suddenly one of the vigilante members shot in the air twice and shot at the boy. He was rushed to Our Saviour’s Hospital, Bomadi-Overside where he eventually gave up the ghost.

“As a result, some youths of Bomadi town went on rampage destroying and burning down properties in the community, including the residence of the vigilante member that killed the boy, the community hall and others.”

However, a source at Tuomo, a neighbouring community in Burutu Council Area, revealed that the rampaging youths stormed their community in search of fleeing vigilante members.

“Comrade Ebi Gadafi, who led the youths on the rampage, was on the pursuit of fleeing vigilante members to Tuomo, where he met a resistance at a vigilante checkpoint at the entrance of the community, and who in his rage burned down their shade.

Angered by his action, the youths of Tuomo community allegedly came out in their numbers, overpowered him and his group and beat him to stupor before the intervention of men of the military Joint Task Force, JTF, stationed at Tuomo.

However, Comrade Gadafi, who was reported to be in a critical condition as a result of the beating was referred from the Bomadi General Hospital to Ughelli for treatment.