Mob Brutally Kills Woman in Delta Community Over Alleged Child Stealing Attempt

An angry mob on Wednesday resorted to jungle justice, setting a woman ablaze over her alleged attempt to steal a child in Agbarho community, a volatile area within the Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State.

The swift and brutal act of extrajudicial violence was reportedly carried out after the community apprehended the female suspect. The target of the alleged abduction, a seven-year-old boy, was successfully rescued from the woman’s custody during the incident.

According to initial reports, the deceased suspect was apprehended when the young boy raised a loud alarm, alerting residents that he did not know the woman from anywhere. The resulting crowd quickly surrounded the suspect and commenced an immediate, aggressive interrogation. The woman, whose identity remains unknown, was reportedly unable to offer any coherent explanation for how she came to be in the child’s company.

In a horrifying escalation, the mob—acting as both accuser and judge—began to beat the woman mercilessly. She was beaten into a state of stupor before the crowd set her on fire, leading to her death.

This tragic display of mob action is viewed against a backdrop of severe tension and communal fear in Agbarho. The community recently staged a major protest over the rampant disappearances and theft of children in the area, a crisis that has heightened residents’ anxiety and distrust. Media reports from June 2025 indicated that up to 26 children, mostly aged between four and ten, had mysteriously gone missing in the community over a short period, fuelling fears of abductions and possible trafficking. The lack of faith in the formal justice system in addressing these long-standing issues often precipitates such violent reactions from citizens.

As of the time of filing this report, the Delta State Police Command had not confirmed the incident. The State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Bright Edafe, is yet to respond to enquiries from our correspondent regarding the tragic killing and the ongoing investigation into the child disappearances that underpin the community’s volatility.