A 47-year-old man identified simply as Emi has reportedly collapsed and died after receiving 40 strokes of the cane for the alleged rape of a 10-year-old girl at Ekeowe in the Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
Reports said the incident, which happened on Wednesday at the riverside settlement, caused pandemonium, sparking a fierce debate over the clash between ancient tradition and modern law.
Reports quoting community sources said that Emi was caught sexually assaulting the minor in a nearby bush.
The victim (name withheld) had been walking home from a farm with her aunt when the suspect allegedly ambushed her.
Under a long-standing local tradition designed to punish the “sacrilegious act” of rape, the customary punishment is severe: 10 strokes of the cane from each of the community’s 12 families, totalling 120 lashes, it was learned.
Tensions ran high as some members of the community attempted to offer an alternative to the brutal flogging.
One individual was said to have offered N50,000, and another N15,000, to spare the suspect. However, the wider community allegedly rejected the offer, insisting that the full traditional penalty must be enforced as a deterrent.
What followed was a marathon flogging session that proved fatal. Sources said the suspect collapsed and lost consciousness after enduring just 40 strokes – a third of the prescribed punishment. He was later confirmed dead on arrival at the community hospital.
The death triggered immediate chaos, with enraged youths flooding the streets. The situation escalated to the point where armed soldiers from the Ogboinbiri base were deployed to restore order.
The tragic outcome has drawn sharp condemnation from local authorities.
Chief Press Secretary to the Southern Ijaw council chairman, Mr. Ayebaitari Easterday, confirmed the incident and stressed that the government does not condone mob action.
“As much as the council does not align with the repugnant attempted rape of the minor, the action of the youths is alien,” Easterday stated.
“It would have only been commendable if they had reported the matter to security agencies for the law to take its course,” he added.
Easterday noted that normalcy has returned to the community following intervention by the council chairman’s team and security operatives.
“The Council chairman is currently on a trip outside the State to attend the zonal and national convention of the All Progressives Congress (APC), so he was represented by a high-powered delegation of the Council headed by the Special Adviser on Security Matters.
“And of course, security agents were very helpful in curbing what would have been explosive crisis,” he said
Four persons have already been arrested in connection with the death and are being held at the Criminal Investigative Department (CID) of the Bayelsa State Police Command in Yenagoa.
The body of the deceased has been evacuated by the police from Oporoma town, headquarters of the council area and deposited at the morgue of the Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa.
