A football coach identified simply as Gaso has been rescued by the police after members of a local vigilante group, OSPAC, allegedly assaulted and paraded him over claims that he magically stole another man’s manhood in Igwuruta, Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State.

A viral video seen by PUNCH Online showed the coach, dressed in blue jeans and a black T-shirt, with his hands tied in front of him, while members of the vigilante group interrogated and assaulted him.

In the video, a man dressed in a blue caftan alleged that Gaso, who hails from Okrika, approached him to ask for transport fare to his hometown.

The man claimed he offered to pay the fare directly at a motor park instead of giving him cash, but alleged that shortly afterwards he noticed his manhood had disappeared and raised the alarm.

He said, “I said let us cross the road, let me pay you to Igwuruta. Before I knew it, the man that said I should give him money started moving fast ahead of me.

“I asked him why. He now asked me what. I said, ‘Are you not the one asking me for money?’ The next thing, he crossed the road and started running.”

Responding in the video, Gaso denied the allegation, saying, “It’s a lie. I begged you for money?”

One of the vigilante operatives then asked the complainant, “Where is your manhood?” After the complainant attempted to respond, the operative asked again, “Is this how it is?” The man replied, “No,” before the suspect was slapped.

Speaking to PUNCH Online on Tuesday, a relative of the coach, Solomon Ogan, said he visited Gaso at the Igwuruta Police Station and dismissed the allegation against him.

He condemned the actions of the vigilante group, insisting that his brother was innocent.

“One of our brothers was accused of taking someone’s manhood in Igwuruta. When we received the information, we immediately rushed to the police station.

“It was there we discovered that OSPAC members had apprehended him, beat him severely and inflicted injuries on his head before the police intervened and brought the situation under control.

“We are currently at the Igwuruta Police Station, where he is being held. What OSPAC did is unfair because you cannot accuse someone of such an offence without evidence,” he said.

Ogan added, “There is no justification for accusing someone of stealing another person’s manhood and then subjecting him to mob assault.”

He alleged that the vigilante members might have killed the coach if the police had not intervened and called for their prosecution.

“I demand the prosecution of the OSPAC commander and all members involved in this incident. They should be arrested and made to face the law,” he said.

In an exclusive interview with PUNCH Online on Tuesday, the National Coordinator of the Centre for Basic Rights Protection and Accountability Campaign, Prince Wiro, called for the immediate release of the coach and the arrest of those involved in the alleged assault.

“I condemn the alleged physical assault, torture, and public parade of Mr Daso Ogan by members of OSPAC in Igwuruta over allegations that he caused another man’s manhood to disappear through magical means on June 22, 2026.

“The torture, as seen in a viral video circulating on social media, constitutes a violation of the victim’s fundamental right to the dignity of the human person,” he said.

Wiro added that family members confirmed the victim sustained serious injuries during the assault.

“They confirmed that members of OSPAC allegedly inflicted severe injuries on Daso, including breaking his head. The victim could have suffered even more serious harm if not for the timely intervention of officers from the Igwuruta Police Division,” he stated.

He also argued that claims that a person’s manhood could disappear through touch or supernatural means were unsupported by medical or scientific evidence.

“I call for the immediate release of Daso Ogan from the Igwuruta Police Division, as he has not committed any known crime.

“I also demand the arrest and prosecution of all members of Igwuruta OSPAC involved in this injustice and extrajudicial action,” he added.

Confirming the incident, the spokesperson for the Rivers State Police Command, ASP Grace Iringe-Koko Agabe, said officers rescued the victim from a mob and placed him in protective custody.

“Yes, our men rescued somebody from a mob. The man is currently in protective custody and the matter is under investigation.

“Meanwhile, let me use this opportunity to advise people not to be quick in carrying out jungle justice. It is a crime, and anyone or group found engaging in it would be made to face the law,” she said. (The PUNCH)

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