From our news desk, Benin
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.
This was made known in a press release by Daisy Osunde, the director of media in the Ministry and circulated amongst journalists in Benin.
According to the press release, the Ministry has facilitated medical, psychological and counselling support for the victim, as investigations into the September 3 incident continue.
Consequently, Police and social welfare officials on Wednesday, 9 September, 2026 returned to the scene of the incident with the woman and Mr. Constantine Ogbofeni, a POS operator in police custody, to identify persons captured in videos of the alleged assault and determine whether further arrests should be made.
Three persons identified as; Ogbofeni, his sister-in-law, Kehinde Alabi, and her husband, Patrick Adams, were earlier arrested in connection with the incident.
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The alleged assault reportedly followed a dispute over suspected fraudulent transactions involving an O’Pay account operated at the POS stand.
Ogbofeni was said to have claimed the woman used the account to receive money from customers for hair products, but concerns arose after some customers allegedly complained that they had not received the products.
He said the confrontation subsequently escalated after he sought assistance from his in-laws.
But the woman is said to have denied any involvement in fraud, as she was a trader in clothes, shoes and hair products.
She alleged that she was rather pressured to refund money and subsequently attacked when she returned to the POS stand.
The Edo State Ministry, through SARC, has continued to provide the survivor with the necessary support while working with relevant authorities to ensure her protection and access to appropriate services, it was stated.
The police investigation is ongoing to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident and identify other persons who may have participated in the alleged assault, the press release added.
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