Six men have been arrested over their alleged involvement in stripping a woman naked in Agunese, Affam-Mmaku Autonomous Community in Awgu Local Government Area of Enugu State.
The 57 year old woman was stripped in the presence of her husband and family members and paraded round the village, penultimate Friday for picking snails around a shrine in the village.
In a viral video viewed many times on social media, the woman is seen beaten by a mob and stripped, with palm fronts tied around her waist and neck before parading her round the village.
Her abusers, led by one Stan Okoro, 46, also forced the woman to carry the basket of the snails on her head while parading round the entire community naked.
An attempt by her husband and brothers-in-law to rescue the woman attracted assault which resulted in severe bodily injuries that forced them to stop and watch while the woman was being paraded naked.
The action generated a lot of reactions and condemnation from well meaning Nigerians and various women organisations who have condemned the act.
However, six persons involved in the dehumanising act have been arrested by the operatives of Enugu State police command.
In a statement by the spokesman of the command, Daniel Ndukwe (DSP), the Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Ammani, who condemned the act of torture, describing it as dehumanising and degrading treatment.
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.”
