Parents have resorted to keeping their children indoors for fear of the unknown in Agbarho, Ughelli North Local Government Area, following a spate of child abductions.

As a result, some schoolchildren have not reported to school since the recent resumption from holidays.

Recall that earlier this month, aggrieved protesters, made up of residents and families of victims whose children are still missing, staged a protest in which they lamented that over 40 children had been stolen.

Parents also accused the Police of complacency, alleging that some officers demanded N100,000 to commence investigations.

Agbarho has in recent months been gripped by fear over frequent cases of child abduction, sparking local calls for “unconventional justice” against suspected kidnappers.

The situation came to a head on Wednesday when an angry mob set ablaze a suspected child kidnapper, Afornughea.

Meanwhile, the Delta State Police Command has launched a manhunt for those behind the burning of a woman accused of attempting to kidnap a child in Agbarho.

Witnesses said the mob descended on her in a frenzy, ignoring all pleas for restraint.

The victim, identified as Mrs Afornughe, was allegedly beaten and set ablaze by an irate mob on Wednesday after she was accused of hiding a young boy in a sack.

Some residents recognised the victim during the mob attack but were too afraid to intervene as she was being lynched.

The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Bright Edafe, said the command would not allow such lawlessness to go unpunished.

Confirming the incident, he said, “we are on the trail of those who carried out the dastardly act. Nobody has the monopoly of violence, and no one should take the law into his own hands, though no suspect has been arrested yet.”

Police have urged calm in the community, stressing that investigations are ongoing to bring the perpetrators to justice.

Fear grips Delta community as child abductions spark school absences, mob justice