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 criminal allegations against the woman could not justify subjecting her to rape, torture or degrading treatment.

 

The woman was reportedly arrested along the Rumuosi–Rumuekini axis of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of the state 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 the arrival of police officers.

 

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

 

He said Section 2 of the law defines rape to include intentional penetration of the vagina, anus or mouth of another person with any part of the body, including fingers, or 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 serious consequences of “one-chance” robbery, saying victims of the crime had been dispossessed of their belongings and, in some cases, lost their lives.

 

He, however, maintained that the alleged actions of the mob were contrary to 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 involvement.

 

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

 

He therefore urged the Rivers State Police Command to identify all those captured in the video, arrest them and commence prosecution.

 

Wiro said the arrest of the alleged perpetrators was necessary to deter people from using accusations of criminality as a pretext to attack, torture, maim or sexually assault suspects.

 

He also condemned the growing practice of mobbing suspected thieves, forcing them to perform humiliating acts, recording the incidents and circulating the videos on social media.

 

According to him, such acts amount to a dangerous form of jungle justice and should not be tolerated in a society governed by law.

 

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

 

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

 

The Command’s spokesperson, ASP Agabe Blessing Kaborlo, 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.

 

Agabe urged residents to report suspected criminal activities to the police instead of taking the law into their own hands.

 

She warned that mob action and jungle justice would not be tolerated under any guise, stressing that anyone found participating in such unlawful acts would face the full weight of the law.