The Delta State Police Command has arrested the Chairman of Emevor Community, Lucky Okeremu, alongside two other community leaders over the alleged assault and public flogging of a resident, Godspower Okedi, following comments he made in a community WhatsApp group.
Key Highlights
- Police arrest Emevor Community Chairman Lucky Okeremu and two others.
- Incident followed comments made by a resident in a community WhatsApp group.
- Victim allegedly beaten, publicly flogged and humiliated while the assault was recorded.
- Viral video sparked widespread public outrage and condemnation.
- Police say additional suspects are still at large.
- Suspects are expected to be arraigned after investigations are concluded.
Pandemonium reportedly erupted in Emevor, Isoko North Local Government Area of Delta State, on Wednesday after Okeremu and members of the community executive allegedly assaulted and publicly humiliated Okedi over allegations he posted in the community’s WhatsApp platform.
The other suspects in police custody are said to be the chairman of the community vigilante group and the chairman of the community task force.
According to multiple community sources, Okedi had alleged that the community chairman invited women whose farmlands were reportedly destroyed by suspected Fulani herdsmen to register at the community civic centre for compensation allegedly paid by the herders.
The sources said Okedi criticised the alleged arrangement, warning that accepting compensation from the herders could embolden them to continue destroying farmlands and worsen insecurity in the community.
He reportedly argued that such an arrangement could encourage the continued presence of suspected herdsmen and criminal elements in the area, making farming increasingly unsafe for residents.
However, Okeremu’s supporters denied the allegation, insisting that the community leadership only engaged the heads of the Arewa Community in consultation with community leaders, stakeholders and the Area Commander to find a peaceful solution to the recurring herdsmen crisis.
According to the group, the meeting ended with a resolution banning herdsmen from entering Emevor for grazing, adding that portraying the engagement as collaboration with herders was misleading.
The group further claimed that respected members of the community appealed to Okedi to apologise over the allegations, but he declined.
Earlier reports had linked the dispute to Okedi’s criticism of abandoned Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) road projects in the community and his comments about an Emevor indigene allegedly connected to the projects.
However, fresh information indicated that the immediate trigger for the assault was his comments regarding the alleged compensation arrangement for women affected by the destruction of their farms.
According to eyewitnesses, after honouring an invitation from the community leadership, Okedi was allegedly attacked by members of the executive.
Witnesses and viral videos show how he was beaten, forced to lie face down on the ground and repeatedly flogged with sticks and pieces of wood while the assault was recorded on video. The footage later went viral on social media, triggering widespread condemnation.
The incident has drawn criticism from within the community and across the country, with many Nigerians demanding the immediate prosecution of those allegedly involved.
The development has also renewed concerns over abuse of authority by community leaders and whether they possess any legal powers to physically punish residents for expressing opinions on social media.
The President-General of Emevor Community, Emmanuel Erezih, popularly known as Okpomo, criticized the incident.
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He stated that no online post, regardless of its content, justified the treatment seen in the viral videos, stressing that intimidation, humiliation and mob punishment have no place in the community.
A police source at the Delta State Police Area Command in Ozoro confirmed that the community chairman, the vigilante chairman and the chairman of the community task force have been arrested and are currently in police custody.
The source disclosed that several other suspects allegedly connected to the assault remain at large after failing to honour police invitations.
Police are expected to arraign the suspects after concluding investigations.
