The Delta State Police Area Command in Ozoro has arrested the Chairman of Emevor Community, Lucky Okeremu, alongside the community vigilante chairman and the chairman of the community task force over the alleged brutal assault and public humiliation of an indigene, Godspower Okedi, whose comments in a community WhatsApp group reportedly sparked the attack.
The arrests followed widespread public outrage after a disturbing video surfaced online showing Okedi being mercilessly beaten, forced to lie face down on the ground and repeatedly flogged with sticks and pieces of wood by men alleged to be acting under the authority of the community leadership.
According to findings by SaharaReporters, the controversy initially stemmed from Okedi’s criticism of abandoned Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) road projects in Emevor and his questions regarding the role of a Port Harcourt-based indigene said to have facilitated the projects. However, fresh information indicates that the immediate trigger for the assault was his comments in the community WhatsApp platform concerning the alleged compensation arrangement for women whose farmlands were destroyed.
After making the remarks, Okedi was reportedly invited by the community leadership to appear before them. Rather than being granted an opportunity to explain his position, witnesses alleged that he was descended upon by members of the community executive shortly after honouring the invitation.
Eyewitnesses said the victim was beaten without mercy, ordered to lie face down on the ground and repeatedly flogged while the assault was filmed. The video later circulated widely on social media, drawing condemnation from Nigerians who described the incident as a clear case of jungle justice and abuse of power.
The incident has ignited renewed concerns over the growing tendency of some community leaders to assume powers reserved for law enforcement agencies and the courts, raising serious questions about respect for constitutional rights, freedom of expression and the rule of law.
Reacting to the incident, President of the Isoko National Youth Assembly Worldwide (INYA), Eniwake Orogun, condemned the attack in strong terms, insisting that no individual deserved such degrading treatment.
“It stands condemned. No one has the right to treat another in that manner. I have the assurances of the police that all parties have been invited to the Area Command, Ozoro, and that the issue will be given the attention it deserves,” he said, adding that further actions would depend on the outcome of the police investigation.
The President-General of Emevor Community, Emmanuel Erezih, popularly known as Okpomo, also distanced the community from the assault, describing it as unacceptable.
“No online post, regardless of its content, justifies the kind of treatment witnessed in those videos. Such actions are unacceptable and have no place in our community,” he said.
Erezih further condemned the actions of Community Chairman Lucky Okeremu and every individual alleged to have participated in the attack, stressing that disagreements or grievances could never justify intimidation, humiliation or taking the law into one’s own hands.
A senior police officer at the Delta State Police Area Command, Ozoro, confirmed that the community chairman, the vigilante chairman and the task force chairman are currently in police custody. The officer disclosed that other suspects allegedly connected with the assault remain at large after failing to honour police invitations.
Police authorities said investigations are ongoing and that the suspects will be arraigned upon the conclusion of the inquiry.
The incident has once again revived national debate over mob justice and the misuse of traditional authority, with many Nigerians demanding that those responsible face the full weight of the law to serve as a deterrent against similar acts of impunity.