A disturbing incident in Anambra State has thrown the spotlight on the excesses of local security outfits after a viral video showed armed vigilantes assaulting a female National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member and her colleagues.
The footage reportedly captures members of Operation Udo Ga-Achi, also known as the Agunechemba Vigilante Group, storming a corpers’ lodge in Anambra and subjecting its occupants to inhumane treatment.
In the widely circulated clip, a corps member identified as Jennifer Edema Elohor was stripped naked, beaten, and left bleeding while men armed with rifles issued degrading threats. The vigilantes reportedly accused the corpers of being internet fraudsters despite repeated attempts by the victims to establish their identities as NYSC members.
Eyewitness accounts revealed that the victims presented their NYSC identification cards and uniforms to the operatives, but these were ignored as the vigilantes intensified their assault.
What started as an alleged anti-crime operation quickly escalated into an episode of violence and humiliation, with Elohor’s ordeal drawing particular outrage due to its degrading and sexually suggestive undertones.
Human rights groups have strongly condemned the incident, describing it as a gross violation of fundamental rights and an attack on the dignity of Nigerian youths serving their nation.
They argued that the vigilante group, lacking constitutional authority to conduct such operations, had overstepped its bounds by targeting innocent corps members.
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The video has since ignited nationwide anger, with Nigerians across social media platforms demanding accountability and justice for the assaulted corps members.
Many questioned the unchecked powers of vigilante groups in Anambra and other states, stressing that such incidents erode public trust in community policing initiatives.
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