A viral video showing a man being beaten and interrogated over an allegation of “manhood disappearance” in Rivers State has triggered fresh concerns about mob justice, vigilante excesses, and the police response to superstition-based claims.
The incident, which reportedly occurred on Monday in Igwuruta, Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers, drew condemnation from the Advocacy for Alleged Witches (AfAW). This rights group described the allegation as baseless and called for the prosecution of those who assaulted the accused.
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According to a video shared by Oriental Times, members of a vigilante group in Rivers, the Onelga Security Peace and Advisory Committee (OSPAC), apprehended a man identified as Daso after another man accused him of causing his genitals to disappear shortly after allegedly begging him for money.
In the footage, the accused, whose hands were tied with a rope, was questioned by men believed to be OSPAC operatives.
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One interrogator asked where he was from. After identifying himself as being from Okrika, he was confronted with the accusation that he had travelled to Igwuruta to make another man “lose his penis”. Daso repeatedly denied the allegation.
Mob attack, vigilante intervention
A local advocate familiar with the incident told AfAW that the accuser initially seized Daso at the Igwuruta roundabout, claiming that his genitals had disappeared after physical contact with him.
The allegation reportedly attracted a crowd, which began assaulting the suspect before OSPAC operatives intervened.
However, instead of protecting him from further abuse, the vigilante officials allegedly tied his hands, interrogated him and subjected him to physical assault in an attempt to compel a confession.
AfAW said Daso sustained injuries to his head and had his clothes torn during the ordeal.
The accuser allegedly told OSPAC operatives that although his genitals remained physically present, they had shrunk and become non-functional, which he attributed to supernatural actions by the suspect.
Police response
According to AfAW, both the accuser and the accused were later taken to a nearby police station.
The organisation said the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) was absent when they arrived and that Daso was detained while the accuser was allowed to leave.
The following day, the DPO reportedly interviewed both parties and informed them that the police do not investigate mystical or magical matters. However, he allegedly warned that if the dispute was not resolved, the matter could be taken to court for adjudication.
When contacted by PREMIUM TIMES, the Rivers State Police Command confirmed that officers intervened after learning of the incident.
The police spokesperson in the state, Blessing Agabe, said officers rescued the accused from a mob attack.
“When the police got wind of the matter, they went in and rescued the man from mob action. When the police went there, he was already seriously beaten. So, the police had to rescue him,” Ms Agabe, an assistant superintendent of police, said.
Asked whether investigators had required the accuser to substantiate his claims and whether those involved in the assault, including the vigilante operatives, would be questioned, Ms Agabe said the matter remained under investigation.
“Just as I said, police are still investigating the matter,” she said.
Pressed on when the outcome of the investigation would be made public, she repeated: “Police are still investigating the matter.”
Rights group demands prosecution
In a statement signed by its director, Leo Igwe, AfAW condemned both the allegation and the treatment meted out to the accused.
The organisation argued that allegations of magical genitals theft have no basis in science, law or reality and often result in false accusations, mob violence and human rights abuses.
“He who alleges must prove. The burden of proof of penis theft is with the accuser, not the accused,” the group said.
AfAW called for the arrest and prosecution of the complainant for allegedly raising a false alarm and inciting violence.
The group also asked authorities to investigate and prosecute OSPAC operatives and any other individuals involved in assaulting the suspect.
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It further criticised the decision to detain Daso despite what it described as the absence of any criminal offence.
The organisation said it had offered to assess the complainant’s claims and was dispatching legal representation to facilitate the accused’s release.
OSPAC refuses to comment on the incident
PREMIUM TIMES contacted OSPAC through a telephone number listed on its official Facebook page.
The individual who answered the call confirmed that it was an OSPAC contact line. However, after the PREMIUM TIMES reporter introduced himself, the caller terminated the conversation and did not respond to subsequent calls.
PREMIUM TIMES days ago reported how a mob seized a suspect from the police, lynched and burned her to death over allegations of child theft.
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