Mob assaults woman over alleged child theft in FCT
A young woman was severely beaten by a mob in the Giri-Kpasere area of Gwagwalada, Federal Capital Territory, after she was accused of stealing a two-year-old child. The incident occurred on Saturday afternoon, October 11, around 5:12 pm, when passersby saw a lady carrying the child by the roadside and trying to board a vehicle. The child was crying, and when one man called the child by name, the child answered, which heightened suspicions among bystanders.
Eyewitnesses said the woman placed the child on her back and covered them with a wrapper, which further raised alarm. Local youths intercepted her and began to beat her. She was nearly stripped naked, and the child was eventually taken away from her. Community elders arrived later and rescued her from continued assault. The woman was handed over to the police in Gwagwalada.
The Police in the FCT condemned the act, describing it as jungle justice and stressing that taking the law into one’s hands is illegal. SP Josephine Adeh said officers from the Tungan Maji Division intervened and rescued the victim before the violence escalated further. The FCT Police Command has launched an investigation into the alleged child theft, urging residents to report suspected crimes rather than resorting to mob violence.
