Islamic teacher lynched in Kaduna over alleged child theft.

Chaos erupted in Maraban Jos, Kaduna State, when a mob set fire to a woman named Malama Ummulkhairi after unverified accusations that she had stolen children.

The incident has sparked widespread outrage across the state and heightened concerns about the rising threat of vigilante justice, lawlessness, and mob violence driven by rumors and misinformation.

Ummulkhairi, an Islamic teacher and mother of more than five children, reportedly traveled from the New Maraban Jos area to attend an Islamic lecture organized at a local school on the old Maraban Jos axis.

She allegedly became separated from some companions and asked children in the neighborhood for directions.

Shortly thereafter, some residents accused her of attempting to abduct children—a claim that witnesses and relatives say is entirely baseless.

As tensions rose, a crowd gathered and the woman was reportedly taken to a nearby police station for protection and investigation.

A statement released on Sunday by the Kaduna State Police Command confirmed that a large mob later stormed the police station, overwhelmed the officers on duty, and forcibly removed the woman from protective custody.

The police said the mob subsequently killed her and set her body on fire, an act described by observers as one of the most brutal examples of vigilante justice seen in recent times.