A 23-year-old man, identified as Samuel, has been reportedly lynched by a mob in Anambra State.

The man said to hail from Benue State, it was gathered allegedly attempted to defile a four-year-old girl in Awka, the Anambra State capital.

The mother of the girl, Ginika, from Enugu State, said,

“The deceased mission was to kill my daughter for ritual purposes.

“I brought my daughter to stay with me at the shop so as to keep an eye on her.

“When she complained she was hungry and wanted to eat beans with bread for lunch, I dashed to a nearby shop to buy the items.

“It was not long my attention was drawn to my stall where my daughter was struggling with a man almost half necked.

“He was kissing her and fondling her breast, while muttering, “I must drink your blood.”

She said she had to raise the alarm as the man was kissing her all over her face and was about to defile her.

“Luckily, some boys within the area ran to the scene of the incident and started dragging my daughter with him.

“By then, blood was already dripping from her face as the man held her tight in his arms.”

She said she rushed her to a hospital where she was receiving treatment.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Haruna Mohammed, confirmed the incident.

He said the deceased was “probably under the influence of some hard drugs.”

“He captured the four-year-old girl and was molesting her sexually before he was arrested by some civilians who carried out jungle justice on him.

“When the police arrived at the scene, the boy, who was probably in his late 20s, was lying motionless on the ground while his assailants had dispersed.

“He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was confirmed dead.

“Investigations are still on to ascertain what transpired and to arrest perpetrators of the crime.”

Mohammed, however, said no arrests had been made, adding that the victim was stable and responding to treatment.