Missing phone murder unsettles Jos as family demands answers

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Ibrahim Mbaya. Photo credit: Simply Amaka | X

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By Golok Nanmwa

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On Sunday night, what should have been another ordinary gathering of young people in Jos ended in tragedy.

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By Monday morning, Ibrahim Mbaya, a promising 25-year-old model popularly known as “Ibee,” was dead.

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His alleged offence was the suspected theft of a mobile phone.

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His punishment, according to police investigators and eyewitness accounts, was hours of brutal torture at the hands of fellow youths who chose violence over the law.

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Today, the circumstances surrounding Mbaya’s death have ignited outrage across Plateau State, reigniting a familiar but disturbing national conversation about jungle justice, mob violence and the frightening ease with which suspicion can become a death sentence.

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For family members, friends and colleagues in the entertainment industry, however, this is not merely another statistic.

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It is the painful end of a young man they insist was ambitious, talented and full of dreams.

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A future abruptly cut short

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Those who knew Ibrahim Mbaya describe him as a quiet and respectful young man who was steadily building a reputation in Plateau’s growing fashion and modelling industry.

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Popularly called “Ibee,” he had become a familiar face at fashion events, social gatherings and creative engagements across Jos.

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Beyond modelling, he was also working to resolve an outstanding academic issue after graduating from the University of Jos, while nurturing bigger dreams for his future.

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Friends say he represented the determination of many Nigerian youths striving to succeed despite enormous economic and social challenges.

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That future, they say, disappeared within hours.

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The night everything changed

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According to information gathered by Sunday Vanguard, Mbaya attended a social gathering around the University of Jos before deciding to spend the night at a friend’s apartment located behind the City of David area along Ring Road, Jos.

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Sources familiar with the incident said it was already late, making it unsafe for him to return to his residence in Rayfield.

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The following morning, events allegedly took a tragic turn.

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His host reportedly informed him that an iPhone had gone missing.

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Although some eyewitnesses initially claimed it was an iPhone 16, the Plateau State Police Command later clarified during its investigation that the phone allegedly involved was an iPhone 12.

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Because they were reportedly the only occupants of the room, suspicion immediately fell on Mbaya.

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According to sources, he initially left the apartment but later received a telephone call asking him to return.

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Believing he had nothing to hide and could easily clear his name, he reportedly went back.

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It would become the biggest and last decision of his life.

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‘They wanted a confession’

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Eyewitnesses told Sunday Vanguard that shortly after his return, Mbaya was confronted by his friend and several young men who allegedly accused him of stealing the missing phone.

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Rather than reporting the matter to the police, the group allegedly resorted to violence.

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Residents claimed the young model was beaten repeatedly with sticks and other objects.

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Some alleged he was kicked, slapped, humiliated and tortured for several hours in an attempt to force him to confess.

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According to multiple accounts, the torture only stopped after he became unconscious.

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Even then, the ordeal was reportedly not over. Sources alleged that instead of immediately seeking emergency medical attention, he was locked inside a room while a nurse was invited to examine him.

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The nurse reportedly confirmed that he had died.

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Another source alleged there was an attempt to transport his body to the Accident and Emergency Unit of the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) in what investigators are now examining as an effort to portray the incident as a medical emergency.

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Police move swiftly

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Unlike many previous cases of jungle justice that ended without accountability, this incident immediately attracted police attention.

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The Plateau State Police Command said it received information from a Good Samaritan after suspicious circumstances surrounded the arrival of an unconscious young man at JUTH.

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According to the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Alfred Alabo, officers from the Lamingo Division immediately responded.

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Mbaya, however, had already been confirmed dead by doctors.

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His body was deposited in the hospital mortuary for preservation and autopsy. Detectives immediately commenced investigations.

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Within hours, police arrested three suspects identified as Rinji Daniel Fwanji, Emmanuel Newyear and Nensemka Fwanji.

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Investigators disclosed that one of the suspects, Emmanuel Newyear, allegedly appeared in a viral video using a large wooden plank to assault the deceased.

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Police also said photographs obtained during the investigation corroborated aspects of the incident.

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During interrogation, investigators said the suspects admitted that Mbaya was merely suspected of stealing an iPhone but that instead of reporting the allegation to security agencies, they allegedly chose to administer what they considered instant justice.

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The three suspects have since been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), while police say efforts are continuing to arrest other persons believed to have participated in the attack.

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The Command assured that everyone found culpable would be prosecuted.

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More importantly, police used the incident to deliver a strong warning against jungle justice. The Command stressed that no individual has the legal authority to assault or kill anyone merely because they are suspected of committing an offence.

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It reminded Nigerians that the country’s criminal justice system provides lawful procedures for investigating allegations and prosecuting suspects.

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Outrage spreads across Jos

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News of Mbaya’s death travelled rapidly across social media before spilling into the streets of Jos.

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Models, photographers, fashion designers, students and entertainers flooded social media with photographs of the deceased.

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Many demanded justice.

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Others questioned how an allegation involving a mobile phone could result in such extreme violence.

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For many residents, the incident represented something much bigger than one young man’s death.

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It reflected the increasing tendency of citizens to assume the roles of investigators, judges and executioners.

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Former NANS leader speaks

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Reacting to the incident, a former Acting President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Prince Miaphen, condemned the killing.

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Describing the incident as barbaric and unacceptable, he urged security agencies to carry out a comprehensive investigation.

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He insisted that every individual connected with the assault must face justice.

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According to him, society cannot continue to normalize mob violence whenever allegations of theft arise.

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He maintained that justice can only be served through lawful institutions and not through torture or public brutality.

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Students reject mob action

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Students of the University of Jos also expressed grief.

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One undergraduate, who requested anonymity, told Sunday Vanguard: “No allegation of theft, whether proven or otherwise, justifies what was allegedly done to him.

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“We have courts. We have the police. We have laws. Justice must not only be done but must also be seen to be done.”

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Another student, Mr. Bulus Arin, struggled to hide his emotions while speaking about the deceased.

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“Ibrahim was a good person. He related well with people and always carried himself with humility. It is painful that somebody with such dreams could die in this manner. We are heartbroken.”

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Several students warned that normalising jungle justice creates an atmosphere where anyone can become a victim of false accusation.

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Alumni Association condemns killing

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The University of Jos Alumni Association also reacted strongly.

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In a statement signed by Peter Gad Shamaki, the Global President, the association described the death as shocking and heartbreaking.

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A lawyer, Lanre Bunmi, who spoke to our correspondent, also condemned the killing of the UNIJOS graduate and model, saying Mbaya’s death illustrates the dangers of allowing emotions to replace due process. Bunmi said: “Under the law, a suspect remains innocent until proven guilty by a competent court.

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“Yet across the country, allegations of theft have repeatedly resulted in public beatings, torture and killings.

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“Many victims are later discovered to have committed no offence.

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“Some die before investigations even begin. “Others are attacked because of mistaken identity, I condemn this act of jungle justice”.

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Former Minister of Sports, Solomon Dalung, also condemned the babaric act.

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In a message, Dalung said: “I woke up this morning to the heartbreaking news of the gruesome death of a young man in Jos, Ibrahim Mbaya, fondly called Ibee, a promising model, baker, and University of Jos graduate whose life was brutally cut short over the allegation of a missing phone.

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“As if the news itself wasn’t painful enough, the videos making the rounds have left me completely shaken.

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“A young man is seen helpless, battered and crying out in pain. Around him are people who should have been his first line of protection.

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“Some stood watching. Some recorded. Some spoke casually. Life in the compound appeared to continue almost uninterrupted while a fellow human being was being subjected to a savage assault.

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“That is the part I cannot wrap my head around.

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“How did we become so desensitized that pulling out a phone to record became more important than stepping in to stop a man from being beaten to death?

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“Reports indicate that after the brutal assault, Ibrahim was left unconscious before he was eventually taken to the hospital, where he was confirmed dead.

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“If that sequence of events is established by investigators, then those responsible did not merely fail to help a dying man, they helped write the final chapter of his life.

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“What makes this even more disturbing is that the allegation itself had not been proven. There was no trial. No investigation. No court. Just accusation, violence, and death.

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“No friend should become an executioner. No society should normalize mob justice”.

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Call for justice

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Meanwhile, Pilasar Zara, younger sister of Mbaya, has demanded justice for her brother, insisting that those arrested over his alleged mob killing should face the full weight of the law.

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Pilasar Zara, who spoke amid growing public outrage over the incident, described the suspects as “cruel” and urged the authorities to ensure they are held accountable for the alleged crime.

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She said the family was devastated by the loss and believes only justice would help bring some measure of closure.

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“We want justice. Those who took the law into their hands should face the consequences of their action.

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“We want them to answer for what they did to my brother,” she said.

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Expressing the family’s grief, Zara said her brother died a painful death and argued that the punishment handed to those responsible should serve as a deterrent to others who may contemplate taking the law into their own hands.

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She described the late Mbaya as a humble, hardworking and peace-loving young man who never had a reputation for theft or violence.

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“This is somebody I grew up with. Throughout our lives together, I never heard anyone accuse him of stealing another person’s property.

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“He respected everyone and never fought with people.

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“He worked hard to make a better life for himself and was always there for the family whenever he was needed.

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“Even those who killed him knew he was a good person. “It is painful that such an innocent person lost his life in this manner”.

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According to her, the family believes Mbaya was targeted out of hatred and jealousy, insisting that nothing justified the brutal attack that allegedly claimed his life.

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