PRESS RELEASE
The Senator representing Delta Central Senatorial District, Okakuro Ede Dafinone has expressed displeasure over the disturbing video of the brutal assault on Ms. Jennifer Elohor Edema, a daughter of Urhobo descent and serving member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Anambra State.
According to a viral video posted online, Ms. Edema was violently beaten, stripped naked, by members of the Agunechemba Vigilante Group in a viral and very disturbing video.
In a signed statement, Senator Ede Dafinone condemned in totality the barbaric and degrading treatment, describing the incident as a violation of Ms. Edema’s dignity as a woman and as a Corps Member, emphasising that it is not only an embarrassment to Anambra and Delta States but also an insult to the Urhobo people and a disgrace to Nigeria’s democracy.
I, Senator Ede Dafinone, representing Delta Central Senatorial District, condemn in the strongest possible terms 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. 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.
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. Miss Elohor, in particular, was brutally beaten, stripped naked, left bleeding, and subjected to humiliating and sexually degrading threats. No Nigerian citizen, much less a young lady serving her fatherland, should ever be subjected to such dehumanising treatment.
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, 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.
Signed:
Senator Ede Dafinone,
Delta Central Senatorial District.
August 20th, 2025.
