It’s An Affront To The Ideals Of National Service, Unity: Dafinone Condemns Assault On NYSC Member In Anambra

By Daniel Dafe

Senator Ede Dafinone, representing Delta Central Senatorial District, has condemned the inhuman and barbaric assault on a serving member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Miss Edema Jennifer Elohor, in Oba, Idemili South Local Government Area of Anambra State.

Dafinone in a statement on Wednesday, added that “the cruel actions perpetrated by armed operatives of Operation Udo Ga-Achi, otherwise known as the Agunechemba Vigilante Group, were not only a grave violation of her dignity and rights but also an affront to the ideals of national service and unity.”

Recall that a viral video in circulation has shown the shocking moment the vigilante group stormed the corps members’ lodge and descended on them despite their production of valid NYSC identification cards.
According to the senator, “Miss Elohor, in particular, was brutally beaten, stripped naked, left bleeding, and subjected to humiliating and sexually degrading threats.”

Adding: “No Nigerian citizen, much less a young lady serving her fatherland, should ever be subjected to such dehumanising treatment.”

He continued: “This barbarity is an indictment on the Agunechemba Vigilante Group. It underscores the urgent need to regulate the activities of untrained and unprofessional armed vigilante groups who now weaponise violence against law-abiding citizens. I demand that those who carried out this heinous assault be identified, arrested, and prosecuted by the Police authority to serve as a deterrent to others. Anything less will embolden further abuse of citizens’ rights under the guise of community security.”

Furthermore, he called on the Anambra State Government “to take full responsibility by offering immediate and adequate compensation to Miss Edema Elohor Jennifer for the physical, psychological, and emotional trauma she has suffered, saying that “this is the least obligation owed to her after such a harrowing ordeal.”

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The state, he said “must act to restore her dignity and send a clear message that such lawlessness will not be tolerated,” just as he urged the leadership of the NYSC to ensure the safety and protection of corps members serving across Anambra State until the completion of their service year.

“The trust of parents and guardians who release their children to serve this nation must not be betrayed by negligence or failure to guarantee their wellbeing. Our young people should never be exposed to brutality while wearing the national uniform of service.

“As representatives of the people, we must uphold the sanctity of human rights and protect the most vulnerable. The attack on Jennifer Elohor is a test of our collective resolve against impunity. Justice must be served swiftly, perpetrators punished, and reforms instituted to prevent a repeat of such shameful abuse in Nigeria,” he concluded.