The Anambra State Police Command has condemned the alleged assault on a female member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Oba, Idemili South Local Government Area of the state, reportedly carried out by vigilante group members.
The operatives, wielding guns, were said to be men of the Operation Udo Ga-Achi, also known as the Agunechemba Vigilante Group.
They were seen in a viral video as they flogged the female Corps member, identified as Jennifer Edema Elohor, stripping her naked as she cried and pleaded with them and tried to cover herself with the wrapper she was tying at the time of the assault.
Thenewsbearer learnt that the vigilante group members assaulted the female Corps member and some of her colleagues when they stormed the Corps Members’ lodge in the state, accusing the graduates of their involvement in Yahoo (fraud).
A foundation, Haven 360, which posted the video on Facebook, said the victims were brutalised and subjected to humiliating and sexually-degrading threats despite providing their NYSC identity cards.
The Command’s spokesman, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, who spoke on the issue in a statement on Tuesday, August 19, said that the suspects involved had been identified, while the victim’s availability is being awaited for progress on the investigation.
The Command, which reiterated that assault in any form remains a criminal offence under the Nigerian law, added that it reserves the right to take necessary legal action to aid the court proceedings while waiting for the victim.
It reassured Corps members serving across the state of its commitment to their protection, urging them to always report incidents of harassment, intimidation, or abuse for prompt intervention.
The Command further cautioned vigilante groups and other quasi-security outfits against acts of brutality or abuse of authority, warning that any such misconduct would not be condoned.
The Special Adviser to Governor Chukwuma Soludo on Community Security, Ken Emeakayi, who appeared on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Tuesday, August 19, also confirmed the arrest.
Emeakayi, who claimed that the operatives were chasing after cultists, described the incident as unfortunate and unacceptable.
He said: “The operatives were on the trail of some suspected cultists riding on motorcycles, pursuing them into a compound.
“In the process of searching the houses in line with their mandate, the unfortunate incident involving the Corps member occurred.”
