The wife of Bayelsa State governor, Dr. Gloria Diri, has taken custody of 19-year-old Miss Nancy Wilfred, who some university female students assaulted in a viral video.
She offered the victim, a petty trader, a scholarship to the university level.
Her action followed the outburst that followed Nancy’s bullying and cyberstalking by female students of the Federal University, Otuoke, in Bayelsa State, who are now at large.
While interacting with, Nancy, her friend, sister, Livinus Nwosu and members of the Gender Response Initiative Team (GRIT) on Wednesday in Government House, Yenagoa, the governor’s wife, who described the incident as barbaric and unfortunate, assured the teenager of her safety and protection as enshrined in Nigeria’s Constitution, particularly the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Act, 2021 of Bayelsa State.
She emphasised that no sane society would tolerate lawlessness, stressing that there was no hiding place for crime perpetrators; no matter how long they hid, the law would take its course.
“I am very unhappy with this happening as a mother; it is difficult to comprehend that Nancy has been living alone for years before this bizarre incident.
“Nancy will immediately be admitted to the hospital for a comprehensive medical examination. I have also spoken with the commissioner of police, Bayelsa State Command, Mr Francis Idu, and he has assured me that the suspects will be apprehended,” she said.
Reacting to the incident, CP Idu said the command has launched a criminal investigation and promised to bring the culprits to justice.
In a statement on Tuesday night by the police spokesperson, DSP Musa Mohammed, titled: “CP Launch Manhunt for Suspects in Attempted Murder, Cyberbullying and Cyberstalking Case”, CP Idu appealed to members of the public and Bayelsans to curtail further regurgitation of the sensational and untoward images, as this can further impel the victim to crack and melt down psychologically.
He said, “Following public interest on the indecent assault, attempted murder, grievous hurt, cyberbullying, cyberstalking and adoption of Miss Nancy Wilfred, of Ighvie Town, Ugheli, Delta State, but resident in Yenegoa, Bayelsa State, and the viral video of the incident, the Bayelsa State police commissioner has inducted a criminal investigation into the incident, to bring the culprits to justice.
“Today, 3rd September, 2025, an exploratory interactive session was held with the victim, which later led to further sessions with some community-based organisations (CBOs) and gender-based organisations. Full declarations and disclosures were made by the victim, relating the extent of abuse and dehumanisation inflicted on her.
“Appropriate measures are ongoing to apprehend the vicious citizens who carried out this callous act on a hapless young girl. A proper press briefing will be done to acquaint members of the public of the outcome of this inquiry, please,” he said.
Narrating her ordeal, Nancy, who wrote a petition to the state police command during the encounter with four female friends last Sunday, said she was lured, assaulted, stripped naked, and humiliated by the suspects. At the same time, one of them filmed the assault, which they released on social media.
The victim, in a Facebook live interview after submitting her petition at the police headquarters, explained that her friends set her up under the pretext of picking up her clothes.
She said, “I came to see my friend because she was signing out at Federal University, Otuoke on August 29, 2025. I stayed behind with my friend Becky at Edepie School Road. We were having a little issue, so I had to leave her house for my friend’s house, Charity, at AMS.
“They called me to pick up my clothes from the dry cleaner. They locked the door and started questioning me when I got to the place. They first took away my phone, questioned me, and even before I could say a word, they started hitting me with hard objects,” Nancy said.
According to her, the attackers, identified as Becky, Blessing, Favour and Miracle, assaulted me while one of them recorded the video. “Miracle was the one doing the video. Becky was pulling off my clothes, and Kadi was cutting my hair with a knife, threatening to stab me if I said a word. She was even the one who blew my eyes,” Nancy recounted.
She said her phone was destroyed, her SIM card thrown away and she was left in pain with bite marks and internal injuries.
“As for my health alone, I don’t even know if I’m having internal bleeding. I will go for an X-ray and a full body check-up to get better treatment,” she added.
Nancy expressed frustration that, despite Kadi’s arrest as the prime suspect, the police allegedly released her. “I don’t know the person who signed the surety for her…” the victim lamented.
“I don’t know the girl; the police officer allowed the girl to be released. As of today, their phones are switched off. I went to her house, but nobody was there,” she said.
A friend of Nancy, who witnessed the incident, described the police handling of the matter as suspicious. “It was like a mind game because when they were arrested, they left before us in the police van.
“When we finally got to the station, the officers denied that any girl had been brought there. When they finally arrived, she was so free. I even questioned her and she insulted me in front of the policeman,” the friend said.
