Anambra Police Recover Burnt Body in Waste Dumpsite, Suspected Jungle Justice Victim
Onitsha, Anambra State – May 8, 2025 – A chilling discovery rocked the quiet neighborhood of Iyiowa Odekpe in Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State on Tuesday, May 7, as officers from the Atani Divisional Police Headquarters recovered a burnt human body dumped at a local refuse site. The charred remains are believed to be that of a young man accused of theft and subjected to jungle justice.
This grim find has once again thrust the troubling issue of extrajudicial mob violence into the spotlight in a region already grappling with complex criminal and security challenges.
According to a police report released by the Anambra State Police Command, operatives on routine patrol stumbled upon the severely burnt corpse around a waste dumpsite in Iyiowa, a densely populated suburb known for its active informal trading hubs and congested settlements. The area, situated near the River Niger, has in recent years experienced a spike in petty crimes and vigilante responses.
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Initial investigations by the police suggest that the deceased may have been a suspected thief, allegedly part of a gang specializing in car battery theft. Witnesses in the vicinity, however, claim to have seen a mob chasing a group of young men earlier in the day. One of them was reportedly caught and brutally beaten before being set ablaze by an irate crowd, while the rest escaped.
The body was discovered still smoldering, surrounded by charred tires and debris—typical markers of mob executions in parts of Nigeria where jungle justice, unfortunately, remains prevalent.
Reacting to the incident, the spokesperson for the Anambra State Police Command, DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, confirmed the recovery of the corpse and condemned the act as barbaric and unlawful.
“The Commissioner of Police, CP Ikioye Orutugu, strongly condemns the resort to jungle justice by some individuals who took laws into their hands rather than handing the suspect over to the police,” Ikenga said in a statement made available to journalists.
He added that the police have launched an investigation to identify the perpetrators of the act, calling on residents of Iyiowa Odekpe and surrounding areas to come forward with information that could lead to arrests.
“No matter the crime, every suspect is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a competent court of law. Vigilantism has no place in a civilized society,” Ikenga stressed.
Jungle justice—summary execution of alleged criminals by mobs—remains a recurring blight on Nigeria’s criminal justice landscape. With a weak judicial system, overburdened police, and high levels of mistrust in law enforcement, communities often take the law into their own hands.
In Anambra State, incidents of mob lynching have surged in recent years, especially in urban slums and motor parks where petty crimes are rampant. In many cases, suspects are accused without evidence and are denied the opportunity to defend themselves.
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A 2023 report by the Centre for Law and Social Justice in Nigeria documented over 120 mob-related killings across the South-East in one year alone, with Anambra accounting for nearly 30 percent of those cases.
Despite repeated warnings by law enforcement and civil society groups, the practice persists, driven by a mixture of frustration, fear, and a lack of faith in the formal justice system.
When our correspondent visited Iyiowa on Wednesday morning, residents were visibly shaken by the incident, though opinions were divided.
Mrs. Grace Ndulue, a food vendor whose stall overlooks the dumpsite, described the scene as horrific.
“I was selling food in the morning when I heard shouting. People were screaming, and then I saw smoke coming up. When I went closer, I saw fire and a human body burning. I cried. No matter what he did, this is too much.”
Others, however, defended the mob’s actions.
“These boys have been terrorizing us. Every week, somebody’s car battery is missing. The police do nothing. If you catch a thief and hand him over, he’s back on the streets in two days,” said a young man who gave his name simply as Uchenna.
Such sentiments are common in neighborhoods where residents feel let down by the justice system. But legal experts and human rights advocates caution that vigilante justice can lead to tragic mistakes—including the killing of innocent people.
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Under Nigerian law, jungle justice is considered a criminal offense, often classified under murder, manslaughter, or unlawful killing, depending on the circumstances. Yet, convictions are rare due to community silence, lack of evidence, and intimidation of witnesses.
Barrister Chijioke Eze, a criminal defense lawyer based in Onitsha, told this reporter that mob justice reflects systemic failures.
“What happened in Iyiowa is a symptom of a deeper problem—the collapse of trust in state institutions. The way forward is not by encouraging more bloodshed, but by reforming the police, equipping our courts, and building community trust.”
He urged the Anambra State government to invest in neighborhood policing and to launch public enlightenment campaigns against jungle justice.
Meanwhile, CP Ikioye Orutugu has ordered intensified patrols in Ogbaru LGA and increased visibility of officers in crime-prone communities like Iyiowa, Odekpe, Okpoko, and Atani.
He also disclosed that the police are considering deploying undercover officers to monitor black spots and informal vigilante groups who may be linked to jungle justice incidents.
“We will not condone impunity. Anybody found engaging in mob action will face the full wrath of the law,” the police commissioner warned.
As of press time, the police had not yet confirmed the identity of the deceased. His remains were taken to a government mortuary pending further investigations and possible identification by family members.
Anambra Police also issued a public appeal for anyone whose relative is missing to visit the Atani Division for further clarification and assistance.
“We urge members of the public to avoid speculations and allow the police to carry out a thorough investigation,” said DSP Ikenga.
The burnt corpse found in the refuse heap of Iyiowa Odekpe is not just a singular tragedy—it is a grim reflection of a society at war with itself, where desperation and distrust collide to create acts of collective brutality.
Until structural reforms address the root causes—poor policing, slow judiciary, and systemic poverty—the cycle of crime and mob violence may sadly continue.
Yet, this incident can also serve as a turning point, a moment of reckoning for leaders, law enforcement, and communities to rethink how justice is delivered, and who is authorized to deliver it.
