A woman identified as Mrs Afornughe has been brutally lynched and set ablaze in Agbarho, Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State, after she was wrongly accused of attempting to abduct a child.
The victim, a watermelon seller known in the community, was alleged to have hidden a young boy in a sack on Wednesday, sparking outrage among residents who swiftly descended on her in a mob attack.
Eyewitnesses said after asking to spare her life, the mob, acting on suspicion, refused to free her but went ahead to beat and burn her to death.
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Police authorities confirmed the incident on Thursday. Delta Police Command’s spokesperson, SP Bright Edafe, described the act as “dastardly” and vowed that those behind it would be brought to justice.
“No suspect has been arrested yet. We are on the trail of those who carried out the act. Nobody has the monopoly on violence, and no one should take the law into their own hands,” he warned.
While fear of child abductions has gripped Agbarho in recent months, prompting calls for vigilante justice, the lynching has sparked outrage after community members revealed that the deceased was innocent.
A youth leader and cleric, Ambrose Germany, in a Facebook post, condemned the killing, stressing that Mrs Afornughe was mentally unstable and known to many in the neighbourhood.
“We know her. We know she sells watermelon. We know the church she was wedded in. We know she is a little mentally imbalanced. We know she is innocent,” he wrote.
Germany also disclosed that the deceased’s husband, an offshore worker, had only just departed for duty before the incident. He added that some residents recognised her during the attack but were too frightened to intervene.
The killing has deepened anxiety in the community, with parents resorting to keeping their children indoors. Reports indicate that some pupils have failed to return to school since resumption, as the fear of child abductions lingers.
Police have called for calm, assuring that investigations are ongoing to track down the perpetrators and restore confidence in the troubled community.
