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A suspected electricity transformer vandal was burned to death by a mob in Calabar, the capital of Cross River State, in the early hours of Tuesday, March 10.
The incident reportedly occurred around 6:30 a.m. on Palm Street near Target Junction in the Calabar South Local Government Area.
According to an eyewitness who requested anonymity, the unidentified man, believed to be in his 30s, was caught attempting to steal armoured cables and other components from an electricity transformer that supplies power to several streets in the area, including Palm Street, Ededem Street, Target and Academy.
The witness said residents raised an alarm after noticing suspicious activity around the transformer.
“Someone raised the alarm and a group of people came out. He was apprehended and beaten to a pulp before the mob set him ablaze by the roadside,” the source said.
The spokesperson for the Cross River State Police Command, Sunday Eitokpah, confirmed the incident. According to him, by the time a police patrol team arrived at the location, the mob had already lynched the suspect and set his body on fire.
“The incident of suspected mob action occurred in the early hours of Tuesday, March 10, 2026, at about 6:30 a.m. at Palm Street by Target Junction in Calabar,” Eitokpah said. He explained that preliminary reports indicated the man was allegedly involved in vandalising an electricity transformer before he was captured by residents.
Officers who responded to the report found the burned body lying in front of the transformer. Police also recovered several items at the scene, including an old electricity meter box, a piece of copper wire and electric cables believed to have been removed from the facility.
Authorities said the local government and environmental health officials have been contacted to evacuate the corpse. The police command condemned mob violence and warned residents against taking the law into their own hands.
“The command wishes to state clearly that mob action or jungle justice is illegal and unacceptable,” Eitokpah said, urging the public to hand over suspects to the police for proper investigation and prosecution.
He added that investigations have begun to identify and arrest those involved in the attack, with further updates expected as the probe progresses.
