By Austin Ogwuda
…offsets her medical bills
Latest update on the brutal attack on a female Youth Corps member, Miss Jennifer Elobor revealed that the Anambra State Government has dismissed eight operatives of the Agunechemba Security involved in the sad incident.
The Special Adviser to Governor Chukwuma Soludo on Community Security, Ken Emeakayi, disclosed this at the Agency’s headquarters in Awka on today (Wednesday).
Emeakayi said the government acted swiftly after receiving reports of the incident, adding that the operatives would be handed over to the Police for prosecution.
According to him, the dismissed officers were in pursuit of suspected cultists on Tuesday, when they attacked the corps member, an action he described as “totally outside the mandate of the agency and utterly condemnable”.
His words, “The Soludo administration will not tolerate any form of unprofessionalism, brutality or abuse of office by security operatives. Any officer found guilty of misconduct will face immediate dismissal and prosecution.
“The government had already settled the victim’s medical bills, replaced her damaged valuables, including a laptop and phone and tendered a public apology to her family, NYSC and the general public.
“This government is committed to professionalism, accountability and respect for human rights in all security engagements”.
…. Senator Dafinone fumes
Earlier, Senator Ede Dafinone, representing Delta Central Senatorial District had condemned the inhuman and barbaric assault on a serving member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Miss Edema Jennifer Elohor, an Urhobo indigene serving in Anambra.
Senator Dafinone in a strongly worded press statement said, “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.
“I call 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. This is the least obligation owed to her after such a harrowing ordeal. The state must act to restore her dignity and send a clear message that such lawlessness will not be tolerated.
“Equally, I urge 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”, the statement added.
Credit: PUNCH
