Woman Set Ablaze by Mob in Delta as Anger Over Child Abductions Boils Over.
AGBARHO, Delta State – September 24, 2025: A gruesome scene of vigilante justice unfolded in the Agbarho community of Ughelli North Local Government Area on Tuesday, as an angry mob set a woman ablaze after accusing her of kidnapping a 7-year-old boy. The horrific incident, witnessed by many in broad daylight, is a symptom of a nation pushed to the brink by a devastating kidnapping crisis.
According to eyewitness accounts, the tragedy began when residents saw the woman dragging a suspicious sack. Forcing it open, they discovered the young boy inside. Consumed by rage and fear, the crowd swiftly descended on her. A tyre was placed around her neck, she was severely beaten, and then set on ablaze, leaving a community traumatized and a nation confronting its deepening security nightmare.
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The lynching has sent shockwaves through Agbarho, but many residents expressed a grim sense of justification. They cited a terrifying surge in child abduction cases, with claims that over 30 children from the area have gone missing recently. This local terror mirrors a national catastrophe. Kidnapping for ransom has become a rampant industry across Nigeria, from the highways of the southwest to the schools of the northwest. Citizens are travel in fear, safety is a luxury here in Nigeria especially when traveling to region with high cases of kidnappings.
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The despair is compounded by a loss of faith in state institutions. “We have lost faith in handing suspects to the police,” one resident stated, echoing a sentiment felt nationwide. “This is the only way to stop them.” This belief that mob action is the only effective deterrent shows a catastrophic breakdown in the social contract, where the government is perceived as absent or ineffective in protecting its people.
The public’s fury is fueled not just by the frequency of abductions but by their often-tragic outcomes, even when families scrape together exorbitant ransoms. There are countless harrowing stories of victims being killed by their captors after payments are made, adding unimaginable trauma that cannot be forgotten. Each of these stories erodes trust a little more, convincing communities that they cannot rely on anyone but themselves for justice or security.
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A Nation Taking the Law into Its Own Hands
The burning in Agbarho is not an isolated event but part of a dangerous trend of extrajudicial killings sweeping through Nigeria. Each time a suspected kidnapper is caught, the public, armed with pent-up frustration and anger over government inaction, often becomes judge, jury, and executioner. While understandable from a place of fear and trauma, this descent into mob justice creates a vicious cycle of violence and further destabilizes the rule of law.
Until the Nigerian government demonstrates a decisive and effective capacity to protect its citizens and bring perpetrators to justice through lawful means, the terrifying specter of communities taking the law into their own hands will continue to loom large.
