The long journey of a notorious armed robber no doubt will always end one day. One adage says that the restless insect will always rest in the big belly of a bird.
So it was with a notorious gang leader whose life ended abruptly through his own nefarious activities, as he met his waterloo unexpectedly after an operation at Otoro Major road in Etim Ekpo local government area of Akwa Ibom State a fortnight ago.
Popularly known as Mr. Bonta, a middle aged man from Uruatta community in Etim Ekpo LGA in Akwa Ibom, he had on this faithful day, a fortnight ago set out with his gang at Otoro to attack some women traders dealing in palm oil as they were coming back from Aba after making sales. As the women retired to their respective homes, this dare-devil notorious robber with his gang raided the respective homes of these women carting away all the cash proceeds and other valuables from their homes.
The Newswriter sources confirmed that the women spontaneously raised alarm that immediately attracted the youths in the area and they rushed out en mass and gave hot pursuit tracing the hoodlums to their hide out. As Mr. Bonta ran out of their hide out he did not know when his secret cap fell off along the track he had used. Subsequently, one of the youths in the community picked up the cap and took it to their community hall for proper identification.
The Newswriter source further revealed that while the youths were still deliberating on what to do with the owner of the cap having confirmed it belonged to Mr. Bonta, information reached them at the hall that the gang leader was somewhere along the Otoro road in a pepper soup joint regaling himself of his day’s exploits, drinking pepper soup and beer and having a good time.
Armed with the information the youths traced Mr. Bonta and got him at the spot. When asked of the ownership of the cap, his efforts at a denial was rather weak and the youths had no option than to resort to instant jungle justice as a bust of matchet cuts rained and descended on his head in a staccato fashion leaving him instantly dead.
According to an eye witness at the scene Mr. Bonta’s remains was taken to a nearby police station at Iwukem in Etim Ekpo LGA for record purposes.
The drama did not end there as it was gathered that as soon as news got to his gang that their boss has been dispatched to the great beyond via the jungle style justice and that he had given up the ghost, they all fled from the community for dear life.
Our original source revealed that Late Mr. Bonta was not new to heinous crimes. He hinted that Mr. Bonta had a leader who was a village head in Uruatta community Chief Thursday Akpan. That some years back this very village head had assigned Bonta and others to go and kill one Chief Emmanuel Ihute Nwagboso who hailed from Ogbuagu Ndoki in Ukwa East local government area of Abia state because of a land dispute. The story continued that for that crime, Bonta and the village head had just returned from Awaiting Trial, ATM, after four years in prison custody.
Finally, our source revealed also that there has been wide spread jubilation while a thanksgiving service has been held for the death of the notorious robber.
However, all efforts to reach the village chief proved abortive as he was said to be in a hide out until the time of going to the press. ###
Christopher David Hart
