There was pandemonium in the Rumuola, Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, at the weekend, when a disabled beggar allegedly caused the disappearance of the reproductive organs of four men.
Eyewitnesses said trouble started at about 11am last Friday at the Rumuola Junction when a male passerby raised the alarm that his reproductive organ disappeared after he gave alms to a popular disabled beggar.
The loud complaints from the victim immediately attracted sympathisers, who confronted the beggar on his wheelchair.
Three others, one of them a trader, simply identified as Chigozie, also raised the alarm that their organs "vanished" immediately they joined the fray.
The development provoked angry youths of the community, who attacked disabled beggars on the road and anyone who looked like a member of the ethnic group from which the beggar came.
The suspect's wheelchair was burnt.
The unrest was quelled by men of the Joint Task Force and police patrol teams, who dispersed the mob and rescued the suspect.
He was taken to the Kala Police Division with the four victims.
Policemen prevented relatives and spectators from entering the station, a development that further heightened the tension.
The angry youths later stormed the neighbourhoods, searching for anyone thought to be from the beggar's ethnic group, beating them up.
The suspect and victims were later moved to the Military Hospital on Aba Road for medical examination.
Eze Egba, a relative of Chigozie's, confirmed the incident.
He said he consulted a military doctor who facilitated the release of the victims and the suspect.
It was gathered that the medical examinations revealed that the victims' claims were baseless, as their genitals were found to be intact.
Not convinced of the medical confirmation at the military base, the victims were taken to a brothel for further confirmation.
There it was "confirmed" that their genitals were indeed intact and functional.
Contacted on the fate of the beggar, police spokesman Ben Ugwuegbulam said he was driving and could not give any information.
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