Tension erupted in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, on Friday when an irate mob set ablaze a house on George Akume Way after several suspected stolen motorcycles and household items were discovered on the premises.
The chaos brought traffic to a halt as commercial motorcyclists, popularly known as Okada riders, blocked the major highway, demanding that security agencies reveal the identity of the property owner.
The incident followed a joint operation by the police and a motorcycle owner who had traced his stolen bike to the building using a tracker. After locating the motorcycle, he alerted fellow riders.
With police support, they stormed the property, forced their way inside and found multiple motorcycles, sewing machines and grinding machines believed to have been stolen.
The police immediately moved the recovered motorcycles to E Division Police Station in Makurdi.
However, anger boiled over among the Okada riders, who insisted the police vacate the building so they could burn it down.
Despite police efforts to restore order, the mob eventually set the property on fire.
The Benue State Police Command has urged members of the public whose motorcycles, sewing machines, grinding machines or other household items have been stolen to visit E Division Police Station in Wurukum, Makurdi, to identify recovered property.