Report states that the incident took place on Tuesday afternoon in Apata community, located in Jos North Local Government Area.
An eyewitness, Mathew Paul, recounted the events, saying the suspect, believed to be armed, had allegedly snatched a phone at gunpoint before being apprehended by residents.
“The thief, a young man, collected someone’s phone this afternoon and then fired a shot into the air to scare people,” Paul said.
“However, people noticed that he was struggling with his gun. A mob quickly gathered, chased him, caught him and set him ablaze. Before security operatives arrived at the scene, he was already dead.”
Efforts to reach the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Alabo Alfred, for comments were unsuccessful, as his phone was switched off at the time of filing this report.
The incident has once again highlighted the rising cases of mob violence in Plateau State, where suspected criminals are often lynched instead of being handed over to law enforcement.
Residents recalled that similar incidents occurred last year in the Kabong community and the Jenta Adamu area of Jos North Local Government Area, where suspected phone thieves and cultists were also set ablaze by angry mobs.