AMILOADED MEDIA HUB NEWS UPDATE
The police in Enugu State have arrested six men for their alleged involvement in stripping a woman naked in Agunese, Affam-Mmaku Autonomous Community, Awgu Local Government Area of the state.
The 57-year-old woman was stripped naked before her husband and family members penultimate Friday and paraded round the village stark naked for daring to pick snails around a shrine in the village.
In a viral video of the woman on the social media, a mob beat her up and then stripped her naked and tied palm fronds round her naked waist and neck before parading her round the village.
The Nation reports that her abusers, led by one Stan Okoro, 46, also forced the woman to carry the basket containing the snails on her head while parading her round the entire community.
An attempt by her husband and brothers-in-law to rescue her attracted severe bodily injuries that forced them to stop and watch while the woman was paraded naked.
The action generated a lot of reactions and condemnation from well-meaning Nigerians and various women organisations.
In a statement issued by the spokesman of the command, Daniel Ndukwe (DSP), the state commissioner of police, Ahmed Ammani, condemned the act of torture, describing it as dehumanising and degrading.
Ammani, who ordered the State CID Enugu to conduct a full-scale investigation into the matter, said such acts would not be tolerated by the command.
The statement reads: “The Commissioner of Police, Enugu State Command, CP Ahmed Ammani, fdc, has ordered the State CID Enugu to conduct a full-scale investigation into the viral case of alleged stripping naked of a woman (names withheld) at Agunese, Afam-Mmaku in Awgu Local Government Area, by some youths of the community numbering over twenty (20), on 27/10/2022, over the allegation that she desecrated their shrine by picking snails therein.
“Consequently, six (6) male suspects have been arrested, including one Okoro Stan aged 46, alleged to have led others in perpetrating the act of beating and parading the said victim round the community.
“Others include Jonathan Nwangene aged 43, Maduabuchi Madueke aged 34, Obioma Nwangene aged 39, Anikene Samuel aged 24 and Chukwuebuka Agu aged 32.
“In addition, frantic investigative efforts are ongoing to arrest others at large.
“Meanwhile, ongoing investigation into the case has shown that the suspects also beat up and caused bodily injuries on the victim’s husband and brother when they attempted to stop them from carrying out the act.
“To this end, the Commissioner, while categorically condemning the said acts of torture, dehumanization and degradation of the person of the victim in contravention of extant laws, especially those bordering on her dignity and fundamental human rights, has further directed that the investigation be concluded within the shortest possible time and the culprits arraigned accordingly.
“The CP, therefore, urges citizens of the State, particularly traditional rulers and other community leaders, to ensure that utmost caution is exercised when enforcing traditional or customary norms on their subjects, especially if doing so will lead to the contravention of the constitutionally enshrined fundamental rights of the person.”
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