Yumbe, Uganda: A 22-year-old theft suspect, Chagua Badru, was lynched by an irate mob in Atipili West, Maganga Ward, Kuru Town Council, Yumbe District, after escaping from police custody, authorities confirmed on Saturday.
The gruesome incident, registered under CRB Reference YBE CRB 528/2025, occurred around 11:00 p.m. on Thursday, and was officially reported to police at 10:30 a.m. on October 5.
Police said Badru, a peasant farmer from Atipili Village in Alinga Parish, succumbed to severe injuries at Yumbe Regional Referral Hospital at about 7:00 a.m. on Friday, where he had been rushed in critical condition following the mob attack.
According to SP Collins Asea, the North West Nile Regional Police spokesperson, Badru had earlier been arrested on October 2 and detained at Kuru Police Station on theft charges recorded under SD Ref 08/30/09/2025.
“The suspect, who was a habitual offender, reportedly broke out of custody with accomplices before resurfacing at his home where community members acting as vigilantes ambushed and assaulted him,” Asea said.
Responding police patrol teams from Kuru Police Station arrived at the scene to find Badru lying in a pool of blood with multiple blunt-force injuries. Despite being rushed to hospital, he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Forensic teams later recovered several incriminating items from Badru’s residence, including a charred Bajaj Boxer motorcycle suspected in a string of livestock thefts involving turkeys and goats, as well as forged local council stamps from Kemeru, Ngakua, Locara, and Kataro, counterfeit assistant veterinary officer stamps for Kochi and Ariwa sub-counties, an original livestock movement permit (S/N 05566148), breaking tools and padlocks, and stolen hospital uniforms belonging to Yumbe Regional Referral Hospital staff.
Local council leaders have since joined police in a joint task force to hunt down Badru’s accomplices and the ringleaders behind the mob attack. “We urge calm and condemn this lawless retribution. Mob violence undermines due process and justice,” SP Asea warned.
According to the 2024 Uganda Police Annual Crime Report, at least 1,016 cases of mob justice were recorded across the country, claiming 1,098 lives, the majority stemming from petty theft-related disputes in rural communities.
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