Three Nigerians accused of
kidnapping a child were lynched to death on Tuesday by an angry mob of young
rioters in Bissau, according to a hospital source
The trio was killed after the
disappearance of a young boy on Tuesday morning in the capital of
Guinea-Bissau.
A rumour quickly spread across the
city that the child had been taken by a group of Nigerians, prompting an angry
crowd to gather which security forces were unable to control.
An AFP journalist saw two of the
Nigerian bodies in the morgue.
“Death to Nigerians! Enough is
enough, stop! The Nigerians must leave,” chanted the crowd.
Police fired warning shots and tear
gas in an effort to disperse the mob, but they were unsuccessful.
The police called for reinforcements
and soldiers from the Economic Community of West African States currently in
the country were deployed in the town and managed to restore some sense of calm
in the afternoon.
Nigeria’s embassy in Bissau, where
many Nigerians sought refuge, was surrounded by security forces for protection.
Many shop-owners in the city closed
because of the violence.
The latest abduction came at a tense
time in Bissau, as in the past fortnight several kidnappings have been reported
to the police.
The authorities have enforced a
travel ban on unaccompanied children and any adults travelling with infants who
they cannot prove are relations are immediately arrested.
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