Jennifer Elohor Edema, the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member who was brutally assaulted by operatives of the Agunechemba Vigilante Group in Anambra State, has shared a harrowing account of her ordeal.
A video that surfaced on August 19 captured the moment Elohor and her colleagues were attacked at their lodge in Anambra. The footage, reportedly filmed on July 23, showed armed vigilantes beating and stripping the corps member while accusing them of internet fraud.
Speaking in an interview with internet personality Aprokoking, Elohor narrated that the incident began around 5 p.m. when she and her colleagues were inside their lodge. According to her, a violent knock on their door escalated into a forced entry by masked, armed men without uniforms or identification.
“I saw a masked man with a gun. He wasn’t in uniform. At first, I thought it was an armed robber. He ordered us outside without telling us who he was or why,” Elohor recalled.
Despite showing their NYSC identity cards and online portals as proof of their service status, Elohor said the vigilantes ignored them, accused them of being internet fraudsters (“yahoo boys”), and ransacked their lodge.
“They searched our rooms, seized phones and laptops, and pushed us downstairs. When I tried to question them, they turned on me. They beat me, tore my clothes, called me a prostitute, and threatened to shoot me and dump my body in the bush,” she recounted tearfully.
The corps member further alleged that nine of them were forced into a vehicle and threatened with violence if they attempted to contact anyone. She added that one of her colleagues was struck with an iron rod while pleading for her safety.
The disturbing video sparked widespread outrage on social media, prompting swift reactions from civil society groups, legal advocates, and the NYSC leadership. A legal non-profit that reviewed the incident confirmed that the vigilantes ignored multiple NYSC identifications before resorting to violence.
Following public pressure, authorities confirmed that some members of the Agunechemba Vigilante Group have been arrested in connection with the assault. The NYSC has also condemned the incident, stressing that corps members must be treated with dignity and calling for a full investigation.