Blessing said that a tipper blocked her view while she was riding to the hospital, and before she could see the masquerades, it was too late to run.
There is outrage in the Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State after a group of masquerades known as Oriokpa Nsukka beat a female nurse identified as Miss Blessing Ogbonna, a staff of a private hospital, to near-death.
It was gathered that the masquerades flogged the nurse who was dressed in her official attire until she fell down from a motorcycle and while she tried to get up and run, the masquerades in their numbers continued beating her till she fell into a drainage.
Narrating her ordeal to Daily Post, Blessing said that a tipper blocked her view while she was riding to the hospital, and before she could see the masquerades, it was too late to run.
Blessing, who called for justice for her and other victims, said she had remained traumatised after the incident.
Nigerians, who are reacting to the incident called for the outright ban of the "Oriokpa Nsukka masquerade" as they said that the masquerades had become notorious for committing all manners of crime including bearing arms.
A human rights group, Heroine Women Foundation, while reacting to the incident demanded that the action of the masqueraded and their handlers must be probed and proper sanctions meted out on them.
The Executive Director of the Foundation, Amb. Onyi Mama, said this act against the female nurse shouldn’t be tolerated by the relevant authorities.
She said, “Watching the video of the attack on this helpless lady is so painful and I wonder what has happened to our humanity.
“What is even more sad is that this is a nurse in the business of saving lives and was on her way to work when these conscienceless individuals descended on her and were having fun in her pain.
“How do you even begin to define this as a cultural display? I call on the relevant authorities to round up anyone involved in this act to serve as a deterrent to others.”
Also, a pressure group in the Nsukka zone under the umbrella of Otobo Nsukka Cultural Zone Community Developmental Initiative, in a statement issued by its convener, Prince Chibeze Onah, and the Head of Administration, Agu Chineme, said that justice was underway.
The group said, “We are happy to inform the general public that the leadership of Otobo Nsukka Cultural Zone Community Developmental Initiative NGO, led by Prince Chibeze Onah (Tallest), Convener, and Agu Chineme Mc O one, Head of Administration, today, Tuesday, April 30th, 2024, took swift action to locate the nurse in question.
“We met her at a hospital in Nsukka, where she is receiving medical treatment. After interviewing her, we discovered that she was mercilessly beaten by the Oriokpa masquerades at Echara Nsukka while on her way to answer an emergency call from a patient.
“We thank God that she is responding to treatment as of the time we met her.
“Otobo Nsukka Cultural Zone Community Developmental Initiative NGO is calling on the Igwe, PG, and youth leaders of Echara Nsukka to ensure that those behind the incident are brought to justice, so that such an incident does not repeat itself. Culture should be revered, not used as a cover for hooliganism.
“It was possible that through the leadership of Otobo Nsukka Cultural Zone Community Developmental Initiative, Blessing Ogbonna, was opportune to speak with the government of Enugu State officially.
“We look forward that the office of the Ministry of Gender and Children Affairs, in conjunction with the Office of the First Lady of Enugu State will do the needful, for Blessing Ogbonna to get justice.”
Similarly, a Professor of English and literary studies in the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Damina Opata, described the development as disturbing.
Prof. Opata said that “The current Oriokpa phenomenon is a very disturbing trend. Oriokpa has not always been like that. It has become a threat to peace and security. But it can still be restored, to a very large extent, to what it used to be."