July 14th 2025 is a day Jennifer Elohor, a serving National Youth Service Corp member will never forget in a hurry.
The harrowing experience Elohor said was shocking as masked men stormed her room in a commando style, kicking the door open before she could reach the door. While all attempts by her and her colleagues to identify themselves fell on deaf ears. They were beaten mercilessly and taken away by the suspecting vigilante operatives in Anambra State.
In a video that went viral on Tuesday, the operatives armed with guns stormed the corps members’ lodge, accusing them of being internet fraudsters despite showing their identification cards and uniforms.
The operatives were seen beating the female corps member despite her cries for help.
The attack has, however, triggered outrage on social media, with many Nigerians condemning the actions of the vigilante group and demanding justice for the victim.
The outrage got to the Anambra State Government, who promised that those responsible will not go unpunished.
The government later said those behind it have been identified, arrested, and detained. It also disclosed that the operatives involved in the assault have been sacked.
Recounting her ordeal, Elohor in an interview with media personality Aprokoking on Wednesday, said the incident occurred on July 13 around 5 p.m., at the lodge where she and other corps members were staying.
According to her, she and her colleagues were indoors when they heard an aggressive knock on 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 said.
Elohor explained that a masked man armed with a gun stormed into the room without any form of identification or uniform.
“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 stated 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,” she said.
She further claimed that when they requested to call their lodge proprietor or NYSC officials to notify them of where they were being taken, the vigilante members became more brutal.
“They beat me, tore my clothes, and even hit one of my colleagues with an iron rod 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.
