Anambra State Governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, has dismissed eight operatives of the Agunechemba Vigilante outfit following the brutal assault and public stripping of a female National Youth Service Corps member, Miss Jennifer Elobor.
The sack was announced in Awka on Wednesday by the governor’s Special Adviser on Community Security, Mr. Ken Emeakayi, who confirmed that the dismissed men would be handed over to the police for prosecution.
According to Emeakayi, the operatives allegedly descended on the corps member on Tuesday while chasing suspected cultists — an action he described as “shocking, unjustifiable and completely outside the agency’s mandate.”
He said, “This administration will not tolerate lawlessness, brutality or abuse of power by any security personnel. Anyone found culpable will be dismissed and prosecuted accordingly.”
Despite appeals from the victim’s relatives and NYSC officials for a quiet settlement, the state government insisted on a comprehensive investigation to serve as deterrent.
“Government has paid all her hospital bills, replaced her damaged phone and laptop while also issuing a public apology to her family, the NYSC and Nigerians,” Emeakayi added, stressing that the incident would mark a turning point in sanitising community security operations.
He assured that the Soludo-led administration remains committed to professionalism, human rights and accountability in all aspects of security management.
