The Anambra State Police Command on Saturday rescued a housewife from a mob in Aguleri community, in the Anambra East Local Government Area of the state.
It was gathered that the yet-to-be-identified woman was accused of killing her husband by the deceased’s family members.
In a video trending online, the lady, who was stripped naked, was seen squatting beside the remains of her husband, while members of the community abused her in Igbo language.
The President-General, Aguleri Community, Hippo Onwuebuke, said the woman was accused of committing adultery.
He said, “The whole matter started in-house, but before we knew what was happening, some hoodlums were brought in and the matter was escalated. The case is now with the police and the woman has made her statements to the police. We are dealing with it.
“The husband’s people caused it; although adultery is an abomination in our community, the woman deserves fair hearing. We have condemned the act and the way it was handled. If a woman is found guilty of committing adultery, you send her home, simple.”
Another community leader, who did not want to be identified, said, “The deceased was a local traditional musician. So, the woman in question knew the repercussion of what she did. From what we gathered, we heard that when the young man died, the friends and family members went to seek the truth traditionally.”
The state police spokesman, DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, said the command was also studying the viral video to identify those who dehumanised the woman.
He said, “The Anambra State Police Command today, March 12, 2022, rescued a female victim from an angry mob in Aguleri.
“The rescue was as a result of a report from a trending video where a lady was publicly molested and assaulted for allegedly causing the death of her husband.
“The Commissioner of Police, CP Echeng Echeng, while describing the act as barbaric, stated that one suspect was already in custody and ordered immediate study of the video with the aim of identifying more suspects and bringing them to book.
“Further information reveals that the deceased has already been buried before the video started trending. The victim was rescued and she is currently receiving medical care in the hospital.”
Meanwhile, the wife of the state governor, Mrs Ebelechukwu Obiano, has called for the punishment of those involved in the attack on the woman.
Mrs Obiano, in a statement she made through the Deputy Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr Emeka Ozumba, in Awka, on Sunday, said, “My attention was drawn to a video clip containing graphic images of a woman subjected to ignominious treatment of the worst kind. She was not only publicly condemned over alleged adultery, but paraded stark naked on the streets. I must say that the conduct of the persons who took the law into their hands to debase the hapless woman was barbaric and disgusting.”