A serving member of the National Youth Service Corps, Ben Agir, has died after he was allegedly beaten into a coma by a community vigilante group in Buruku Local Government Area of Benue State, on suspicion that he was a motorcycle thief.

The chairman of Buruku LGA, Raymond Aondoakura, confirmed the incident on Thursday, stating it occurred late Sunday night, between 11 p.m. and midnight, at Mbajor settlement near the Local Government Secretariat.

Aondoakura recounted what he gathered from those present: "From what I gathered, they said they caught him and suspected that he was a bike snatcher. Before he could explain himself and present his identification card, one of the leaders started beating him, insisting that he was not telling the truth. They beat him into a coma. Seeing his condition, they took him to a hospital that night, but he died."

The council chairman added that he received the report on Monday at approximately 4 a.m. He confirmed that those involved in the assault had been arrested and handed over to the police for investigation. Vigilante operations in the area have since been suspended pending proper regulation.

"We confirmed that the deceased was a serving corps member," Aondoakura stated.

However, the Benue State Public Relations Officer of the NYSC, Veronica Ogwuche, introduced a conflicting detail, indicating that preliminary findings suggest Agir was not deployed to Benue State and may have been serving in Gombe State at the time of his death.

The circumstances surrounding his presence in Buruku at the time of the incident had not been officially clarified as of the time of filing this report.