Edo Ministry Intervenes as Police Probe Alleged Assault on Woman in Auchi

By Rosemary Okoduwa

The Edo State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, through its Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC), has intervened in the case of a woman allegedly assaulted, stripped naked and filmed by a crowd in Auchi, Edo State.

The Ministry has facilitated medical, psychological and counselling support for the survivor as the police continue investigations into the September 3 incident.

As part of the ongoing investigation, police and social welfare officials on Wednesday returned to the scene of the alleged assault alongside the survivor and a POS operator, Mr Constantine Ogbofeni, who is currently in police custody.

The visit was aimed at identifying individuals captured in videos of the incident and determining whether further arrests were necessary.
Three persons Ogbofeni, his sister-in-law, Kehinde Alabi, and her husband, Patrick Adams were earlier arrested in connection with the incident.
The alleged assault reportedly followed a dispute over suspected fraudulent transactions involving an OPay account operated at the POS stand.

Ogbofeni reportedly claimed that the woman used the account to receive payments from customers for hair products, but that concerns arose after some customers allegedly complained that they had not received the products. He said the confrontation escalated after he sought the assistance of his in-laws.

The woman, however, denied any involvement in fraud, stating that she was a trader dealing in clothes, shoes and hair products. She alleged that she was pressured to refund money and was subsequently attacked when she returned to the POS stand.

The Edo State Ministry, through SARC, has continued to provide the survivor with medical, psychological and counselling support, while working with relevant authorities to ensure her safety, protection and access to appropriate services.
The police investigation remains ongoing to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident and identify other individuals who may have participated in the alleged assault.