A man identified as Otoworo Woyengidenyefa Collins has filed a case after being flogged publicly for allegedly stealing soap from a supermarket in Bayelsa state.
The lawyer who filed the case on behalf of the victim, Ebi Robert, alleged that the victim was paraded in the community, beaten, harassed, tied to a pole and publicly flogged after he was wrongly accused of stealing soap in a supermarket.
In a post shared on Facebook on Thursday, the lawyer said the victim, who was a member of the Youth Exco in the Okolobiri community, was beaten and humiliated even when there was no evidence to prove that the victim was guilty.
According to him, “I have finally filed a case on the instruction of the Applicant against the breach of his right to dignity of Human Person.
“Until this case, the Applicant was a member of the Youth Exco in the Okolobiri community. He was wrongly accused by a supermarket management for theft of soap, which he said he didn’t commit.
“The supermarket management also affirmed his innocence after thorough interrogation and then withdrew themselves from the issue for wrongly accusing the Applicant.
“However, despite the lack of evidence of the theft, some cane-hungry members of the Okolobiri community, including the CSO of the community, Mr. Marol Okoro, and one Mr. Comrade Binapumakumo G. Jacob, amongst others, dragged the Applicant before the whole community and tied him to a pole, and beat him up in the full glare of the public.
“This inhuman and degrading treatment has caused so much embarrassment and shame to the Applicant, hence this case in court.
“If we do not put a stop to practices like this, it will continue until even an innocent person may be killed in this process.
“May God give justice to the young man. As we simply remain but only instruments. Ebi Robert Esq.”
