The Bayelsa State Police Command has begun a manhunt for four young women accused of assaulting and attempting to murder a 19-year-old small business owner, Nancy Wilfred, in Yenagoa.
Police spokesperson, Musa Mohammed, confirmed in a statement on Wednesday that the action followed a petition by the victim and a viral video of the incident which triggered widespread outrage.
“Following public interest on the indecent assault, grievous hurt, attempted murder, cyberbullying, cyberstalking and abduction of Miss Nancy Wilfred, the Command has opened a criminal investigation into the matter,” Mohammed said. “Appropriate measures are ongoing to apprehend the culprits who carried out this callous act on a hapless young girl.”
Nancy, originally from Imo State but now residing in Ughelli, Delta State, narrated that her friends lured her under the pretext of collecting her laundry before locking her up, stripping her, cutting her hair with a knife, and beating her with hard objects.
“They took away my phone and started questioning me. Before I could say a word, they began hitting me. Becky was pulling off my clothes, Miracle was recording, and Kadi threatened to stab me if I spoke. She even cut my hair with a knife,” Nancy said in a Facebook post.
The victim expressed fears about her health, revealing plans to undergo an X-ray and medical checks. She also raised concerns that one of the prime suspects, identified as Kadi, had allegedly been freed on bail.
“I don’t know the person who signed surety for her, but the police allowed it. Now their phones are switched off and no one can find them,” she lamented.
The incident has attracted condemnation from civil society groups, women’s associations, and government officials.
Technical Adviser to the Governor on Girl Child Development, Dr. Helen Bob, described the assault as “barbaric and harmful to the mental health of victims,” stressing the need to “promote a culture of kindness, empathy and respect.”
The Bayelsa Chairperson of the Nigerian Association of Women Journalists, Grace Orumieyefa, also condemned the attack, calling it “a grave violation of the victim’s dignity and rights.” She urged security agencies to “bring the perpetrators to justice without delay.”
Similarly, the Association of Women Against Gender-Based Violence, led by Dr. Dise Ogbise Goddy Harry, decried the act as “sad and embarrassing,” insisting that the case highlighted “criminal issues of assault occasioning harm, character assassination, threat to life and cybercrime.”
Community leaders, including ex-agitator Paul Eris and consultant Dr. Ayibapreye Isaac Benson, also demanded swift prosecution, while social media activist Very Dark Man pledged a ₦2 million reward for credible information leading to the suspects’ arrest.
Meanwhile, the Police Commissioner, CP Alonyenu Francis Idu, appealed to the public to stop sharing the viral video, warning that it could “further impel the victim to crack and melt down psychologically.”
He added: “We should all invest efforts to aid the recovery of the victim from the trauma caused by the incident.”
