Angry mob sets robbers alight

2007-01-17 21:06

Lagos - An angry mob killed two suspected armed robbers by beating and setting them alight in Nigeria's economic capital Lagos on Wednesday, reported Channels television, showing footage of the incident.

"By the time the police arrived, they had been set ablaze and there was nothing anybody could do", said an eyewitness, which showed pictures of the three charred corpses.

The three belonged to a five-member gang that had been terrorising the people of Surulere district in the past months, a resident, said Adebiyi Adeleye.

There has been an upsurge in crime, especially armed robbery, recently in Lagos, Africa's biggest city, prompting residents to sometimes take the law into their own hands.

Dozens civilians and even policemen have been killed in these attacks, some of which were committed in broad daylight.

- AFP