Three suspected kidnappers met a brutal end at the hands of an angry mob in Ozanogogo, Ika South Local Government Area of Delta State, on March 6, 2025, after abducting a local hunter, Oza Smart. The dramatic rescue unfolded around 6:45 p.m. when community youths tracked the suspects via a ransom call made with the victim’s SIM card, leading to their capture and the victim’s liberation.
Intelligence sources informed Zagazola Makama that Smart was seized while hunting in the bush, prompting his captors to contact his wife to demand a ransom. “Youths of Ozanogogo mobilized and stormed the forest, successfully rescuing the victim and capturing three of the five suspected kidnappers,” the source revealed.
The Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Agbor Division, DSP Jafaru Umaru, deployed two patrol teams to intervene and prevent the suspects from being burned alive. However, the mob had already inflicted fatal injuries. The injured victim received treatment at General Hospital, Agbor, while the bodies of the lynched suspects were moved to the hospital mortuary for autopsy and preservation.
No arrests have been linked to the mob action, but police have bolstered patrols in Ozanogogo to quell tensions and avert further unrest. The incident highlights the volatile intersection of community justice and rising kidnapping threats in the region.