PORT HARCOURT, Nigeria — The police in Rivers State said they rescued a football coach from a mob after he was accused of making another man’s manhood disappear through supernatural means in Igwuruta, a community in Ikwerre Local Government Area.
The coach, identified in accounts of the incident as Gaso and by a rights advocate as Daso Ogan, was allegedly assaulted and publicly paraded by members of a local vigilante group, OSPAC, before officers intervened.
A viral video showed a man in blue jeans and a black T-shirt with his hands tied in front of him as members of the vigilante group questioned him.
The incident was said to have occurred on Monday, June 22, 2026.
In the video, a man in a blue caftan accused the coach, said to be from Okrika, of approaching him to ask for transport money to his hometown.
The man said he offered to pay the fare directly at a motor park rather than hand over cash, but later claimed that his manhood had disappeared.
“I said let us cross the road, let me pay you to Igwuruta. Before I knew it, the man that said I should give him money started moving fast ahead of me,” the man said in the video.
“I asked him why. He now asked me what. I said, ‘Are you not the one asking me for money?’ The next thing, he crossed the road and started running.”
The coach denied the allegation in the video.
“It’s a lie. I begged you for money?” he said.
Relative Says Coach Was Injured
Solomon Ogan, a relative of the coach, told PUNCH Online on Tuesday that he had visited him at the Igwuruta Police Station and rejected the accusation against him.
“One of our brothers was accused of taking someone’s manhood in Igwuruta. When we received the information, we immediately rushed to the police station,” Ogan said.
“It was there we discovered that OSPAC members had apprehended him, beat him severely and inflicted injuries on his head before the police intervened and brought the situation under control.”
Ogan said the coach remained at the Igwuruta Police Station. He criticised the vigilante group, saying the accusation had not been supported by evidence.
“There is no justification for accusing someone of stealing another person’s manhood and then subjecting him to mob assault,” he said.
Ogan called for the prosecution of those involved in the alleged assault.
“I demand the prosecution of the OSPAC commander and all members involved in this incident. They should be arrested and made to face the law,” he said.
Rights Advocate Demands Release
Prince Wiro, the national coordinator of the Centre for Basic Rights Protection and Accountability Campaign, also condemned the incident and called for the coach’s release.
“I condemn the alleged physical assault, torture, and public parade of Mr Daso Ogan by members of OSPAC in Igwuruta over allegations that he caused another man’s manhood to disappear through magical means on June 22, 2026,” Wiro said.
“The torture, as seen in a viral video circulating on social media, constitutes a violation of the victim’s fundamental right to the dignity of the human person,” he said.
Wiro said relatives had reported that the coach sustained serious injuries before the police intervened.
“They confirmed that members of OSPAC allegedly inflicted severe injuries on Daso, including breaking his head. The victim could have suffered even more serious harm if not for the timely intervention of officers from the Igwuruta Police Division,” he said.
Wiro said claims that a person’s manhood could disappear by touch or supernatural means had no medical or scientific basis. He demanded the arrest and prosecution of OSPAC members involved in the incident.
“I call for the immediate release of Daso Ogan from the Igwuruta Police Division, as he has not committed any known crime,” he said.
“I also demand the arrest and prosecution of all members of Igwuruta OSPAC involved in this injustice and extrajudicial action,” he added.
Police Warn Against Mob Action
The spokesperson for the Rivers State Police Command, ASP Grace Iringe-Koko Agabe, confirmed that officers had rescued a man from a mob and placed him in protective custody.
“Yes, our men rescued somebody from a mob. The man is currently in protective custody and the matter is under investigation,” she said.
Agabe warned residents against taking the law into their own hands.
“Meanwhile, let me use this opportunity to advise people not to be quick in carrying out jungle justice. It is a crime, and anyone or group found engaging in it would be made to face the law,” she said.
