A human rights activist, Prince Wiro, has called for the immediate arrest and prosecution of men allegedly involved in the sexual assault and public humiliation of a female suspect accused of belonging to a “one-chance” robbery syndicate in Rivers State.

Wiro, the National Coordinator of the Centre for Basic Rights Protection and Accountability Campaign, condemned the alleged assault, insisting that allegations of criminality against the woman could not justify subjecting her to rape, torture or other degrading treatment.

The woman was reportedly apprehended along the Rumuosi-Rumuekini axis of Obio/Akpor Local Council in connection with an alleged “one-chance” robbery operation.

A viral video showed the woman stripped naked and surrounded by several men, some of whom allegedly sexually assaulted her before police officers arrived at the scene.

Reacting to the incident, Wiro said the alleged assault constituted a criminal offence under the Rivers State Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Law.

He explained that Section 2 of the law defines rape as the intentional penetration of the vagina, anus or mouth of another person with any part of the body, including fingers, or with an object, without consent.

“There is absolutely no justification for such actions, and there is no nexus between the alleged crime committed by the female suspect and the sexual assault inflicted on her.

“Nobody should hide under the guise of punishing criminal suspects to commit sexual assault,” Wiro said.

The activist acknowledged the devastating impact of “one-chance” robbery, noting that victims are often dispossessed of their belongings and, in some cases, killed.

He, however, maintained that the alleged actions of the mob violated the law and the principles of criminal justice.

Wiro described the men allegedly involved in the assault as “sexual predators” who should be arrested and prosecuted if investigations establish their culpability.

He also raised concerns over what he described as gender discrimination, noting that while the female suspect was allegedly stripped naked and sexually assaulted, the male suspects arrested alongside her were not subjected to similar treatment.

He urged the Rivers State Police Command to identify everyone captured in the viral video, arrest them and commence prosecution.

According to him, prosecuting the alleged perpetrators would deter people from using accusations of criminality as a pretext to torture, assault or sexually abuse suspects.

Wiro also condemned the growing trend of mob attacks on suspected criminals, forcing them to perform degrading acts, recording the incidents and circulating the videos on social media.

He said such actions amounted to jungle justice and had no place in a society governed by the rule of law.

He stressed that every suspect, including the woman accused of involvement in the alleged “one-chance” operation, is presumed innocent until proven guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction.

The latest call follows an earlier warning by the Rivers State Police Command against mob action and jungle justice.

The command’s spokesperson, ASP Grace Iringe-Koko, had in June condemned the mob attack on a woman, Maria Kobara, who was falsely accused of kidnapping a 12-year-old child on Owo Street, Mile 3, Diobu, Port Harcourt.

She urged residents to report suspected criminal activities to the police rather than taking the law into their own hands, warning that anyone found participating in mob action would face the full weight of the law.