Mob sets man ablaze for allegedly abducting children in Niger

On Friday afternoon, a man named Sule Sakon Kano was subjected to a violent act of vigilante justice in Lapai town, Lapai Local Government Area (LGA) of Niger State.

Allegedly, Kano was set on fire by an enraged mob who accused him of child abduction.

The middle-aged individual was reportedly discovered in the possession of two young girls, aged four and five. This incident occurred within a town that has experienced a surge in cases of missing children in recent times, prompting the local community to take the law into their own hands.

The two children were sent by their parents to a nearby shop to make purchases around 1:30 pm while the community members were engaged in Friday prayers in Lapai.

According to a source from the area, prior to his demise, the accused individual purportedly confessed to the crime, acknowledging that he had been involved in selling his victims to unidentified agents.

The source explained, “We have witnessed many instances of missing children in Lapai town without apprehending any of the culprits. However, when the people apprehended this individual, they were overcome by anger and chose to administer justice themselves. They killed the suspect on the spot and set his body on fire.”

When the suspect’s plans were thwarted, he attempted to flee towards the burial ground near the Government Girls Secondary School (GGSS) in Lapai. However, the mob pursued, captured, and brought him back to the town center, where they set him ablaze before the arrival of the police.

As of the time of composing this report, the Niger State Police Command has not yet released an official statement concerning this incident.