The Special Adviser on Community Security to Anambra State Governor Charles Soludo, Ken Emeakayi, has strongly criticized the violent attack on a female corps member, Jennifer Elobor, by members of a local vigilante outfit, stressing that those responsible have already been apprehended.
The incident, which drew widespread outrage after a viral video surfaced, showed armed members of Operation Udo Ga-Achi (popularly called the Agunechemba Vigilante Group) invading a corps members’ lodge in Oba community. The footage captured the operatives physically assaulting Elobor, tearing her clothes, and ignoring her identification card, while accusing her and other corps members of involvement in fraud.
Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, Emeakayi denounced the conduct of the operatives, calling it unlawful and beyond their mandate. “It was not part of their duty. That was why I said that the act, and in the process of carrying out their legitimate duties, and what they did next was unacceptable and wrong. It was not part of their duty to beat up anybody or to strip anybody, which was why we arrested them,” he said.
The governor’s aide explained that immediate steps were taken once the incident was reported.
“Immediately that incident happened, we got the report, and the best step we took was to arrest the operatives involved in that act, then detained them. They were with us,” he noted.
According to him, a formal inquiry is ongoing to determine the next course of action.
“According to our practices, when an incident involves our operatives, we arrest them, carry out our preliminary investigations, then get the complainants, or the victims involved and our operatives, to determine the level of what action to take and whether it is something we can handle by internal disciplinary measures or something we would have to prosecute,” Emeakayi explained.
He confirmed that the vigilante members implicated in the assault have been suspended pending the outcome of the probe.
“They are suspended because when a case has been established against someone, you arrest the person, then hand him over to the police,” he said. “Now, since they were not readily prepared for persecution, which will be carried out by the police, they are now undergoing other disciplinary measures within our system, pending the final evaluation of the matter, whether they are going to court or not going to court as it relates to the victim.”
