The Labour Party Caucus in the National Assembly has strongly condemned the violent attack on a member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Miss Jennifer Elohor, in Anambra State.
The lawmakers have called on both the Anambra State Government and the Nigeria Police Force to ensure that those responsible for the assault are swiftly brought to justice.
In a statement issued on Thursday, August 21, 2025, in Awka, the state capital, the Caucus described the incident, which was captured in a viral video, as “heinous, cruel, and criminal”.
The statement was jointly signed by Senators Victor Umeh and Tony Nwoye, alongside members of the House of Representatives — Ozodinobi George, Afam Ogene, Idu Emeka, Oby Orogbu, Uche Okonkwo, and Anekwe Peter.
The lawmakers lamented that the vicious attack, carried out by operatives of the Anambra State-backed vigilante group known as Agunechemba, was not only a gross violation of the laws of the land but also a shameful display of lawlessness.
They warned that the growing impunity of such groups must be urgently curtailed before the situation spirals further out of control.
According to the Caucus, “the recourse to jungle justice, one of which resulted in the brazen assault on a young female corps member, is inhuman, barbaric, and must be condemned in its entirety.”
They further expressed dismay that vigilante operatives in Anambra are gradually usurping the roles of the Nigeria Police Force and even the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), to the extent of storming female corps members’ lodges, brutalising and stripping young women naked under the guise of fighting crime.
The lawmakers insisted that the Soludo administration cannot claim ignorance of these excesses.
They alleged that only the outcry of the public compelled the government to acknowledge this case, stressing that “but for public outrage, the dastardly act would have, as in several past incidents, been swept under the carpet by the state government.”
The statement also linked the excesses of Agunechemba to political manipulation. The Caucus recalled that just days earlier, they had raised alarm over Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s alleged plan to use the controversial vigilante group and other rogue actors to influence the outcome of by-elections.
“Despite official denials, everyone saw the deputy governor, Onyeka Ibezim, leading hundreds of these operatives to disrupt the polls in Osumenyi, the hometown of the APC governorship candidate — the same way they laid siege to the residence of the APC senatorial candidate in Oraifite,” the lawmakers alleged.
They warned that any attempt to replicate such “acts of brigandage” in the forthcoming November 8 governorship election in Anambra would be strongly resisted.
“Governor Soludo must wake up to the reality that these rascals will not be allowed to terrorise Anambra people under the cover of state authority,” the statement declared.
Calling for immediate action, the Caucus demanded a full-scale and independent investigation into the assault on Miss Elohor.
They urged the Police to take over the case, stressing that justice cannot be guaranteed if the same vigilante outfit is allowed to investigate its own operatives.
“Can cockroaches ever expect justice in a court presided over by a hen?” they asked rhetorically.
The lawmakers further insisted that in any civilised society, the offending Agunechemba operatives would have long been arrested and placed in police custody instead of being shielded by their superiors.
They urged the state government to retrain or disband the vigilante group to prevent future abuses, warning that the peace and security of Anambra residents and visitors must never be compromised by the reckless actions of rogue agents.