Amid varied reactions to the brutal assault and public stripping of Jennifer Edema Elohor, a female National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member in Anambra, a lawyer has spoken against what he calls a double standard.
Frank Tietie, the Executive Director of Citizens Advocacy for Social and Economic Rights (CASER), expressed disappointment over the public’s muted response compared to a similar case.
Tietie noted that the ferocity with which Nigerians demanded justice for Comfort Emmanson, who was nearly stripped during a scuffle with Ibom Air flight attendants, is “noticeably lacking” in Elohor’s case.
The incident involving Elohor, who was serving in Oba, Anambra, was captured in a viral video.
Persecondnews recalls that on August 18, operatives of the Agunechemba Vigilante Group stormed a corps members’ lodge, accusing them of being internet fraudsters despite the victims presenting valid NYSC identification cards.
The footage showed Elohor being beaten, stripped naked, and left covered in blood, while also being subjected to humiliating and sexually degrading threats.
Persecondnews reported that the Anambra State Government had confirmed on Wednesday, August 20, that the operatives involved had been arrested and detained pending an investigation, an action the state’s police command is also currently undertaking.
But the Abuja-based lawyer reiterated his concern that the incident had not ignited the widespread public outrage and demands for justice and compensation seen in Emmanson’s case.
He said: “Perhaps because Haven 360 shared the video discreetly, without explicit content, there have been no announcements of compensation from some Nigerians to the young women who were brutally beaten and sexually humiliated by a band of non-state actors allegedly backed by the Anambra State Government.
“Given the state government’s failure to guarantee security for its people, Nigerians, the NYSC, and the Federal Government must demand accountability from Gov. Charles Soludo.”
Tietie said that communities across Nigeria have long taken pride in accepting and caring for NYSC members who serve the children and women of their communities as medical doctors, school teachers, and agricultural extension service providers.
He lamented that a group of uneducated village men, armed with unrestrained power and intoxicated by illegal local authority, would readily stereotype these refined NYSC girls serving in their communities as “yahoo yahoo people” simply because of their relatively urbane lifestyles compared to those of the villagers.
He said: “This must be a massive embarrassment to the people of Anambra and a call to review the NYSC Act to ensure the security of Corps members and to blacklist hostile communities and, by extension, some states and their people.
“Returning to responsible governance, Gov. Soludo must apologise to the NYSC and the Federal Government on behalf of the Anambra people. Even if the girls were culpable for a reason, the way they were sexually and physically abused is unacceptable by minimum legal standards.
“The administration of Gov. Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State, as part of its duty to protect the well-being of Delta State residents like Jennifer Edema Elohor, must demand accountability on her behalf.
“It should also ensure that the investigation reaches a proper conclusion, that the offenders are punished, and that suitable compensation is provided to the victims. The same procedures should be followed for other female corps members who were victims of the brutal assault.
“The Attorneys General of the states from which the corps members originate and the National Human Rights Commission must offer the necessary legal advice and support to enable the corps members to receive adequate compensation if their rights have indeed been violated by the so-called vigilance group of Anambra State.
“In our pursuit to enhance Nigeria’s living standards, we must emphasise individual rights and well-being as the foundation of governance and development.”
Meanwhile, the Anambra State First Lady, Dr Nonye Soludo, said she has reached out to Elohor on Wednesday, August 20.
Mrs. Soludo reportedly called the corps member to express her sympathy and invited her to a meeting at the Government House.
However, by the time the invitation was extended, the young woman had already left the state.
An aide to the governor said: “She (Soludo’s wife) has asked her to reach out once she is back in Anambra. The lady was very happy with the humility of the governor’s wife and was pacified. We are expecting her here very soon.”
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