Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The family of Ibrahim Mbaya, the 25-year-old University of Jos graduate who was beaten to death by a mob over allegations of stealing an iPhone 12, has broken their silence, with his younger brother alleging that the killing was not about a missing phone but about jealousy and envy. James Mbaya, in an emotional interview with Saturday Punch, insisted that his brother was set up by people close to him—including his closest friend—who were envious of his success and emerging career in modeling. "He was killed out of envy and jealousy. One of the people who brutally attacked him was his closest friend. They had both contested in a modelling competition, where my brother emerged first runner-up in the first stage," James told Punch.
The gruesome incident occurred on Sunday, July 26, 2026, at an off-campus apartment behind the City of David area along Ring Road in Jos North Local Government Area. Ibrahim Mbaya, a Political Science graduate awaiting mobilization for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), was a multi-talented young man who was into catering, modeling, and dancing. According to his brother, he was full of dreams that were never fulfilled—he aspired to own a fashion house and run his own restaurant. Instead, those dreams were cut short in a brutal assault that lasted for hours.
According to police reports, the trouble began when Mbaya spent the night at a friend's apartment after attending a social event. The owner of the missing phone, Rinji Daniel, told investigators that he woke around 4 a.m. to find his iPhone and his brother's power bank missing. He called Mbaya's phone but the calls were unanswered. A search was launched, and Mbaya was eventually located and brought back to the apartment, where he was subjected to a brutal interrogation. Emmanuel Newyear, 30, one of the arrested suspects, admitted to striking the victim three times with a wooden plank while attempting to coerce a confession. "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 was," Newyear confessed while being paraded by the Plateau State Police Command.
Another suspect, Teslor Joshua, admitted to helping restrain the victim while others tied him with a rope. Nensemka Fwanji, the brother of the phone owner, witnessed the assault and later rushed Mbaya to the hospital after realizing the severity of his injuries. "When I came back to the room, I saw he had been beaten mercilessly. I was the one who took him to the hospital," he said. However, it was too late. Mbaya was pronounced dead on arrival at the University of Jos Teaching Hospital. The police have arrested four suspects: Tisloh Joshua, Rinji Daniel Fwanji, Emmanuel Newyear, and Nensemka Fwanji. The police said six persons were directly involved in the attack, and efforts are ongoing to apprehend the remaining two suspects.
Speaking to Premium Times, the deceased's younger brother, James Mbaya, described the incident as devastating and noted the family's profound loss. "His death has devastated us, especially our parents. I don't think they will ever recover from the shock because he was the first male child of the family. We had great expectations for him," he said. "I wouldn't wish such a death even on my worst enemy. It is terrible, horrifying and deeply painful." The family is calling on the police to ensure that all individuals involved in the killing are prosecuted. "Everyone involved in his death should receive the punishment they deserve. Although this won't bring him back, it is the best thing that can happen after this tragic loss," he said.
The Plateau State Government has condemned the killing in the strongest terms, describing it as a barbaric display of jungle justice. In a statement issued by the Commissioner for Information and Communication, Hon. Joyce Lohya Ramnap, the government said it received with profound shock and deep sorrow the reports of the graduate's death. "Government strongly condemns this barbaric act of jungle justice, which has no place in a civilised, democratic, and law-abiding society. The sanctity of human life is sacred, and no individual or group has the right to take the law into their own hands under any circumstance," the statement declared. Governor Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang extended heartfelt condolences to the family, the University of Jos community, and the people of Borno State, and urged security agencies to ensure a thorough and expeditious probe.
The case has also drawn the attention of civil society groups. ActionAid Nigeria has condemned the killing as a grave violation of human rights and a reflection of the country's weakening justice system. The Fwinbe Thomas Gofwan Memorial Foundation (FTGMF) has also called for the immediate prosecution of those responsible, describing the incident as a disturbing reflection of the growing culture of jungle justice in Plateau State.
The tragic death of Ibrahim Mbaya has once again highlighted the dangers of mob justice and the fragility of the rule of law in Nigeria. The fact that a promising young man, who had been accused of a crime that was never proven, could be beaten to death by his peers—including his closest friend—is a stark reminder of the consequences of allowing emotion and suspicion to override due process. As the investigation continues and the suspects await trial, the family of Ibrahim Mbaya is left to mourn a life cut short by envy, jealousy, and a complete breakdown of justice. As his brother James put it, "Nobody deserves to go through such treatment."
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