A member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Jennifer Elohor, has shared a harrowing account of her alleged assault by suspected operatives of the Anambra State Vigilante Group, who reportedly broke into her residence, physically assaulted her, and forcefully took her and her fellow corps members away.
Elohor detailed her ordeal in an interview with media personality Aprokoking, shared on Wednesday. According to her, the incident took place on July 13 around 5 p.m. at the lodge where she and other corps members were residing.
“We were indoors when we heard a loud knock on the door,” she recalled. “At first, we assumed it was someone knocking on a neighbor’s door. The building has multiple flats across three storeys. But the knock became more aggressive, so I went to check. Before I could reach the door, it was kicked open.”
She described how a masked man, armed with a gun and wearing no uniform or form of identification, stormed into the room.
“At that moment, I thought it was an armed robbery. He ordered all of us to come outside. I tried to explain that we were corps members and offered to show my NYSC ID card. My colleagues also presented theirs, but they ignored us,” she said.
Elohor said the men ransacked their room, confiscated their phones and laptops, and quickly turned violent.
“They dragged us downstairs and nearly pushed me down the staircase. One of them kept asking me what gave me, as a woman, the right to question them. It wasn’t until we got outside and saw their vehicle that we realised they were from the Anambra Vigilante Group.”
She further alleged that when they asked to call their lodge caretaker or notify NYSC officials, the vigilante operatives became more brutal.
“They beat me, tore my clothes, and struck one of my colleagues with an iron rod when he pleaded on my behalf. They forced me into their vehicle, slapped me, pressed my neck, and threatened to destroy our phones if we contacted anyone,” she recounted.
— Punch Newspapers (@MobilePunch) August 21, 2025
Assaulted Anambra NYSC member recounts ordeal
21st August 2025
Vigilantes beat, strip female corps member in Anambra…. Credit: Facebook Video (Screenshot) | The Haven Foundation
By Olugbenga… pic.twitter.com/PqNpjTjs8k
In a video that went viral on Tuesday, the vigilante operatives—armed with guns—were seen storming the corps members’ lodge and accusing them of being internet fraudsters, despite their identification cards and NYSC uniforms. The video also showed a female corps member being repeatedly beaten as she cried for help.
The attack has sparked widespread outrage on social media, with many Nigerians condemning the vigilante group’s actions and demanding justice for the victims.
In response to the public backlash, the Anambra State Government confirmed that the operatives involved had been identified, arrested, and detained. It also announced that they had been dismissed from service.