30-year-old Newyear is the man captured in the viral video bludgeoning Mbaya with a plank as the deceased yelped in pain and writhed in agony
Four persons suspected to be involved in the lynching of Ibrahim Mbaya, a graduate of Political Science from the University of Jos, over purported phone theft have finally spoken.
They narrated how they killed Mbaya, who was also a budding model, when they were paraded at the Plateau State Police Command.
Within Nigeria had reported how the deceased was brutally tortured to death by a mob led by his friends on Sunday at an off-campus apartment behind the City of David area, along Ring Road in Jos North Local Government Area of the State.
Mbaya’s death has sparked outrage both online and offline, with many asking that capital punishment be meted out to those involved in his killing.
One Emmanuel Newyear, who is a cousin to Mbaya’s friend who accused him of stealing his phone, confessed to taking part in the torture of the deceased.
30-year-old Newyear is the man captured in the viral video bludgeoning Mbaya with a plank as the deceased yelped in pain and writhed in agony.
He said, “On the 26 of this month, my cousin came to my place informing me that his phone was missing. He said they had called the deceased and had come to the apartment.
“When we interrogated him, he told us the phone was at the Naraguta hostel beside a tree, but we checked, and we didn’t see it. He later told us that the phone was at Rayfield, and we went there but didn’t see it. We all returned to the hostel. People had already gathered at the compound.
“I first slapped him inside the room and later brought him outside. I was the one who hit him with a plank three times. I beat him because I wanted him to tell me where the phone is. I know him through my cousin brother,” Newyear explained.
Teslor Joshua, another suspect, admitted that he participated in the torture of the deceased, noting that he was one of those who tied him to a crossbar with a rope.
Rinji Daniel, the owner of the phone, also gave an account of the incident.
According to him, he and Mbaya had attended a social event that kept them out till the early hours of Sunday, and the deceased decided to sleep at his place.
He disclosed that he woke around 4 a.m and noticed that Mbaya was not in the room and later realised that his phone had also gone missing. He said he dashed outside to look for Mbaya, but he was nowhere to be found, and when he called his phone, he did not pick up.
Daniel said, “We came back from an event on that day, and Ibee said he would pass the night in my room. He later said he wanted to go outside to answer a call. He did not come back on time, and my brother and I later slept while my phone and my brother’s power bank were charging. I woke up around 4 a.m. and didn’t see the deceased. Only two of us were on the bed. I expected three of us because he only told me he was going to answer a call outside.
“I checked for my phone and discovered it was not there, and the power bank was missing too. I checked outside and didn’t see him. I called his number, and he was not picking up. I tried my phone, but it was switched off. I used another person’s phone to call his number; he then picked up the call and cut it again. I then reported the case to my cousin. That is where the whole thing started.”
He disclosed that they were only able to get hold of Mbaya after they reported the matter to his aunt, who then called him, and it was after that he came back to the student lodge.
