Assault On Corps Member: Soludo Sacks Vigilante Operatives

Anambra State government has dismissed eight vigilante operatives who assaulted a serving female member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Miss Edema Jennifer Elohor, in Oba, Idemili South Local Government Area of the state.

The special adviser to the Governor on Community Security, Ken Emeakayi, who disclosed this in Awka yesterday, said the state had also covered the victim’s medical bills, replaced her damaged valuables, and tendered a public apology to her family and the NYSC.

Emeakayi said the operatives, who claimed they were in pursuit of suspected cultists, acted outside their mandate and would be handed over to the police for prosecution.

“The Soludo administration will not tolerate any form of unprofessionalism, brutality or abuse of office by security operatives. Any officer found guilty of misconduct will face immediate dismissal and prosecution,” he said, stressing that the case would mark a turning point in reforming community security operations in the state.

Meanwhile, Senator Ede Dafinone, the lawmaker representing Delta Central Senatorial District, has strongly condemned the brutal assault on the corps member, describing the act as “barbaric, inhuman, and a disgrace to national service.”

In a statement issued on Wednesday, Dafinone decried the attack allegedly carried out by operatives of Operation Udo Ga-Achi, otherwise known as the Agunechemba Vigilante Group, who were captured in a viral video beating and stripping the corps member naked despite her presenting a valid NYSC identification card.

“No Nigerian citizen, much less a young lady serving her fatherland, should ever be subjected to such dehumanising treatment,” the Senator said. He demanded immediate arrest and prosecution of the perpetrators to serve as a deterrence, while also calling on the Anambra State Government to compensate the victim for the trauma and damages suffered.

Dafinone further urged NYSC authorities to take proactive measures to safeguard corps members across Anambra, insisting that parents’ trust must not be betrayed by negligence.

When contacted for confirmation on whether the dismissed operatives had been transferred to police custody, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Superintendent of Police, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, did not respond to calls or messages sent to him.