Delta Community Chairman Oversees Flogging, Public Humiliation Of Indigene Over Facebook Post On Abandoned NDDC Road

Pandemonium broke out on Wednesday in Emevor Community, Isoko North Local Government Area of Delta State, after the community chairman, Lucky Okeremu, and members of his executive assaulted and publicly humiliated an indigene, Godspower Okedi, over a Facebook post concerning an abandoned Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) road project.

SaharaReporters gathered from multiple community sources that Okeremu and members of the executive had invited Okedi to appear before the community leadership over a Facebook post in which he allegedly criticised the abandoned NDDC road projects and questioned the role of a Port Harcourt-based indigene said to have facilitated the projects.

According to the sources, shortly after Okedi honoured the invitation on Wednesday, he was attacked by members of the community executive.

Witnesses alleged that Okedi was beaten, ordered 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 was later allegedly circulated on social media.

"Godspower was mercilessly beaten, dehumanised and maltreated. He was flogged all over his body while lying on the bare ground in Emevor. The community chairman ordered members of his executive to carry out the barbaric and uncivilised act. I witnessed everything," a community indigene who witnessed the incident told SaharaReporters.

The witness further questioned the justification for the alleged assault, saying, "How can you treat someone like that simply because he made allegations against a son of the community who attracted an NDDC road project? If a project attracted to the community has been abandoned, do people no longer have the right to speak about it?"

Another resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of possible reprisals, described the incident as shocking and unnecessary, saying disagreements over community affairs should never result in violence or public humiliation.

According to the resident, dialogue, rather than force, ought to have been adopted if the leadership believed Okedi's comments were inaccurate or defamatory.

"Human rights advocates have repeatedly warned against acts of jungle justice, stressing that every Nigerian is entitled to the constitutional rights to dignity, fair hearing and protection from torture, inhuman or degrading treatment," the resident said.

The incident has sparked widespread debate among residents and across social media, with many demanding the immediate arrest of the community chairman and his executive members.

The controversy has raised critical questions about whether community leaders have the authority to impose physical punishment on individuals for opinions expressed online.