A National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member, Jennifer Elohor, has described a terrifying encounter with suspected members of the Anambra State Vigilante Group.
She claims they broke into her home, assaulted her and her colleagues, and forcibly took them away.
In an interview with media personality Aprokoking on Wednesday, August 20, Elohor recounted the incident, which occurred on July 13 around 5 p.m. at her lodge.
She said she and other corps members were inside when they heard an aggressive knock on their door.
“At first, we thought it was our neighbours’ door because it is a three-storey building with several flats. But the knock became louder and more aggressive, so I decided to check. Before I could reach the door, it was kicked open,” she said.
Elohor stated that a masked man, armed with a gun and without any identification or uniform, stormed into the room.
“At first, I thought it was an armed robber until he ordered all of us to come outside. I tried to explain that we were corps members and even suggested showing our NYSC identity cards. My colleagues also presented theirs, but the men ignored us,” she recounted.
She stated that the intruders ransacked their rooms, seized their phones and laptops, and became violent.
“They pushed us downstairs, almost shoving me down the staircase. They kept asking what gave me the right, as a woman, to challenge them. It was when we got outside that we saw their vehicle and discovered they were from the Anambra Vigilante Group,” she said.
She further said when they requested to call their lodge proprietor or NYSC officials to notify them of where they were being taken, the vigilante members became more brutal.
“They beat me, tore my clothes, and even hit one of my colleagues with an iron rod for pleading on my behalf. They forced me into their vehicle, pressing my neck, slapping me, and threatening to smash our phones if we contacted anyone,” she said.
Persecondnews recalls that in a video that went viral on Tuesday, August 19, the Agunechemba Vigilante Group, armed with guns, stormed the corps members’ lodge, accusing them of being internet fraudsters despite their showing identification cards and uniforms.
The operatives were seen beating the female corps member despite her cries for help.
The attack has, however, triggered outrage on social media, with many Nigerians condemning the actions of the vigilante group and demanding justice for the victim.
Following the outrage, the Anambra State Government announced that those responsible have been identified, arrested, and detained.
It also disclosed that the operatives involved in the assault have been sacked.
Meanwhile, the Anambra State First Lady, Dr. Nonye Soludo, said she had 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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