Calabar, Nigeria — A suspected thief was lynched and burnt beyond recognition by a mob in Calabar South on Tuesday morning, according to the Cross River State Police Command.
Police spokesperson, ASP Eitokpah Sunday, confirmed that officers on early morning surveillance patrol from Atakpa Division received information about an unidentified male corpse, estimated to be about 22 years old, lying along Mayne Avenue by Nyong Edem Street. The location sits at the boundary between Atakpa and Efut Divisions.
Preliminary reports suggest the deceased, along with two accomplices, allegedly attempted to vandalize an electric transformer at an undisclosed site. He was reportedly apprehended by a mob, lynched, set ablaze, and later transported to the scene where police recovered the body.
ASP Sunday noted that there were no signs of struggle, weapons, or pre-burnt materials at the axis where the corpse was found. Photographs were taken, the body evacuated, and investigations have commenced.
The police have condemned the act of jungle justice and assured that efforts are underway to track down those responsible for the lynching.
