Tragedy in Delta State: Vigilante Group Beats Young Man to Death Over Phone Mix-up

In Agbor, Delta State, a local security group called Anioma Security Watch Network has been blamed for the death of Joe Philip, a 29-year-old man accused of stealing a Nokia torchlight phone. The incident occurred on Father’s Day, June 16, 2024.

An eyewitness reported that Joe Philip had returned home from church and turned on his generator to relax. An elderly woman living in the same compound asked to charge her phone in his room. While Joe was napping, the woman’s son took her phone from Joe’s room without his knowledge.

When the woman came back to get her phone and couldn’t find it, Joe was shocked but promised to replace it. The woman, however, demanded her exact phone back, threatening to “teach him a lesson.”

Joe’s offer to replace the phone didn’t satisfy the woman, who then called the Anioma Security Watch Network. The vigilante group arrived and began to beat Joe, insisting he return the phone.

Despite pleas from bystanders, the beating continued until Joe became unresponsive. Realizing the severity of the situation, the vigilantes took his body to their office, where an angry crowd damaged their patrol vehicle.

The Nigerian Police Force and the Military intervened, calming the situation. Joe’s lifeless body was then taken to Agbor Central Hospital’s mortuary by police, accompanied by his relatives and friends.

A few hours later, the missing Nokia phone was found with the woman’s son, who had taken it earlier to avoid disturbing Joe’s sleep. In an interview, Joe’s grieving father recounted how he had pleaded with the woman to accept a replacement phone, but she refused.