Nigerian Police
Operatives of the Edo State Police Command have arrested two minors and three others for allegedly stripping one Christabel Akhigbe naked over alleged phone theft.
They were said to have made a video of her nakedness and uploaded it on social media.
The suspects, Blessing Lucky 15, Jennifer Eboigbe 30, Iziegbe Ogbodu 39, Naomi Ekhonetomwan 17, and Lucky Endurance 16 were arrested for indecent assault on a female and cyber stalking.
The state Commissioner of Police, Funsho Adeboye, who paraded the suspects on Friday at the command headquarters in Benin, the state capital, said the suspects accused the victim of stealing an android phone belonging to one Lucky and called her to return the said phone.
Adeboye said after Christabel had returned the phone to the owner, they lured her into Blessing Lucky’s mother’s house, beat and stripped her naked and threatened to put pepper in her private parts.
He added that the suspects made a video of the scene which has gone viral on social media.
Adeboye said that on receiving the report, police operatives arrested the suspects who confessed to the crime.
He added that they will soon be charged in court.
The CP said, “The Edo Police Command have arrested five females for stripping a woman for allegedly stealing an android phone. They then made a video of the victims while naked and posted it online.
“They have now become suspects in a case they should have been the complaints.”
While warning the citizens not to take laws into their own hands, noting that those who should have been the complainants have turned themselves into suspects in the case.
He said the police would cooperate with human rights organisations to make sure that the suspects pay for the crime.
“I will advise residents not to take law into their own hands and to report cases of this nature to the police,” he said.
One of the suspects, Eboigbe, said she is ashamed of what they did to the victim.
She said, “My daughter came to tell me that her phone was stolen and after some days, we retrieved the phone from the person who stole the phone. The girl begged me that they shouldn’t beat her, but despite her plea, they went ahead to strip her naked.
“I am ashamed of what they did because I am a mother.”