Southern Ijaw erupts into turmoil after suspected child molester succumbs to injuries from public whipping

In the Southern Ijaw area, a disturbing incident unfolded on Wednesday, as a 47-year-old man named Emi lost his life while being subjected to a traditional form of punishment for allegedly raping a 10-year-old girl in Ekeowe.

According to eyewitnesses, the young victim had been walking back from a farm with her aunt when Emi allegedly attacked her in a nearby bush, prompting the community to take action against him.

Under a long-standing local custom, Emi was to receive 10 strokes of the cane from each of the community's 12 families, totaling a whopping 120 lashes, as punishment for his alleged crime.

However, some community members proposed alternative punishments, with one offering N50,000 and another N15,000 to spare Emi the brutal flogging, but their suggestions were rejected by the wider community.

The community's insistence on enforcing the traditional penalty was driven by a desire to use it as a deterrent, but things took a turn for the worse when Emi collapsed and lost consciousness after receiving just 40 strokes, a third of the prescribed punishment.

Emi was later confirmed dead upon arrival at the community hospital, sparking immediate chaos and prompting angry youths to flood the streets.

In an effort to restore order, armed soldiers from the Ogboinbiri base were deployed to the area, amid fears that the situation could escalate further and get out of hand.

Mr. Ayebaitari Easterday, the chief press secretary to the Southern Ijaw council chairman, condemned the mob action and emphasized that the government does not condone such vigilante measures, instead advocating for lawful action.

Easterday noted that while the council does not condone the attempted rape of the minor, the action taken by the youths was unacceptable and would have been better handled through official channels.

He explained that normalcy has since returned to the area following intervention by the council chairman's team and security operatives, and that the council chairman was away attending a zonal and national convention of the All Progressives Congress, APC.

The council chairman was represented by a high-powered delegation led by the Special Adviser on Security Matters, who helped to calm the situation and restore order.

Four individuals have been arrested in connection with Emi's death and are currently being held in custody at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Bayelsa State Police Command in Yenagoa.

The body of the deceased has been evacuated from Oporoma town, the council headquarters, and deposited at the morgue of the Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa, for further examination and investigation.

Efforts to obtain an official response from the Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Musa Mohammed, were unsuccessful, as he stated that he had yet to receive full details of the incident at the time of filing the report.