‘I thought they were robbers’: Assaulted NYSC member recounts ordeal

A National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member, Jennifer Elohor, has narrated how she was assaulted by the operatives Anambra State Vigilante Group, Agunechemba Security, at the corps members’ lodge in the state.

A viral video had shown the female NYSC member being assaulted alongside some of her colleagues by vigilantes.

Elohor was beaten and stripped naked by men wielding guns.

The Special Adviser to Governor Chukwuma Soludo on Community Security, Ken Emeakayi, on Thursday, August 20, 2025, announced the dismissal of eight vigilantes over the brutal assault and public stripping of Elobor.

Speaking in an interview with media personality, Aprokoking, shared on Wednesday, Elobor disclosed that the incident occurred at the lodge where she and other NYSC members were staying. at about 5 p.m. on July 13.

Elohor said she and her colleagues were indoors before they were assaulted by a man armed with a gun and without any form of identification or uniform.

The corps members said the vigilantes knocked on their door aggressively, adding: “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.

VIDEO: Vigilantes beat, strip female NYSC member in Anambra

“At first, I thought they were armed robbers 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 stated that the intruders ransacked their room, seized their phones and laptops, and became violent.

Elohor said: “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.

“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.”

The Star