A National Youth Service Corps member, Jennifer Elohor, has recounted her harrowing experience after a viral video showed her being assaulted by members of the Anambra State Vigilante Group.
The incident occurred at her residence on July 13 around 5 p.m., according to Elohor, who spoke with media personality Aprokoking on Wednesday. She said she and her fellow corps members were indoors when an aggressive knock sounded at their door.
“At first, we thought it was our neighbours’ door because it’s 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 explained.
Elohor said a masked man, armed with a gun and without any form of identification or uniform, entered 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 added that the intruders ransacked their room, 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,” Elohor said.
When they asked to call their lodge proprietor or NYSC officials, the vigilante members reportedly 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.
PUNCH Online reported that the operatives stormed the corps members’ lodge, accusing them of internet fraud despite their identification cards and uniforms. The video of the attack, which went viral on Tuesday, shows the female corps member being beaten despite her cries for help.
The assault sparked widespread outrage on social media, with Nigerians condemning the actions of the vigilante group and calling for justice. In response, the Anambra State Government confirmed that those responsible have been identified, arrested, and detained. The operatives involved in the attack have also been dismissed from service.
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