Cold hands of nemesis grips Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo of Anambra State and his notorious Agunechemba vigilante group as the recent assault on a youth corps member exposes the group’s symbols of harassment, intimidation, molestation and torture
By Our Correspondent
As the famous Afrobeat legend, Fela Anikulapo Kuti painted the picture of marauding soldiers on illegal assignment in one of his popular lyrics, “They leave sorrow, tears and blood, their regular trademark”, similar were the activities of the Anambra State’s vigilante group known as the Agunechemba.
Until recently, the Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s attack dogs in the guise of the codename Agunechemba, symbolized lawlessness, harassment, intimidation, molestation and torture. Anywhere the Agunechemba operated before now, they had left sorrow, tears and blood trailing their illegal operations as in the days of Fela’s famous lyrics.
Tentacle gathered that before the Soludo’s group’s condemnable assault on a member of the National Youths Service Corps (NYSC) member identified as Jennifer Elobor, the Agunechemba was the nemesis of opposition members in Anambra State who were deployed to harass and intimidate citizens perceived to be opposed to the governor’s policies which are not favourable to the people.
It was also gathered that the Agunechemba allegedly maintained a torture camp in a part of the state where it detained its victims some of whom were tortured to extract forced confessions on offences they did not have any hand in. Credible sources hinted that the local vigilante group allegedly charged huge sums of money from their detainees before they would grant them bail.
Investigation also revealed that before the Elobor’s episode which is now rattling the government, there had been series of petitions against the Agunechemba Vigilante group and their nauseating activities, by some well-meaning citizens, which the state government failed to attend to. The failure of the government to act on those petitions further emboldened members of the group to continue in their alleged nefarious acts with reckless abandon.
Unfortunately, as it is said that “all days for the thief, one day for the owner of the house”, the dehumanization and torture of Elobor in broad daylight by the Agunechemba assailants on Wednesday, July 23, 2025, has exposed the behind the scene heinous activities of the group created to compliment the police in tracking criminal elements and their activities in Anambra State, thanks to the social media and citizen journalism.
Since the Oba, Anambra State incident where the youth corps member was stripped naked by the gun wielding Agunechemba Vigilante members went viral, the government of Anambra State headed by Soludo has been rattled to its marrow while it is struggling to defend the illegal activities of the group. Soludo, the governor, is sorely rattled as the illegal acts of his attack dogs have begun to affect negatively his chances of securing a second term in office come November this year when the state will go to poll to elect a new governor.
Again, the unlawful activities of the Agunechemba operatives, according to security analysts, have once again put a question mark on the desirability of the state police being agitated for by some state governors. These argued that reckless governors like Soludo would hijack state police to harass and intimidate opposition parties in their respective states. Thus, security experts are now more than ever resolute in the call for the National Assembly to drop any planned amendment of the 1999 Constitution to accommodate the establishment of state police.
What Agunechemba Did To Elobor
Outrage has since erupted all over the country following the shocking assault on Elobor. Reports indicated that the vigilantes stormed the lodge of corps members on the said date, accusing them of engaging in internet fraud. Despite the corps members quickly presenting their NYSC identity cards and uniforms as proof of their status, the operatives allegedly ignored them and began assaulting one of the female corps members, identified as Edema Elobor.
In a disturbing footage circulating online, the young woman was seen pleading for help as she was mercilessly beaten. Her clothes were torn off during the attack, leaving her exposed and dehumanised. Witnesses claimed she was also subjected to degrading treatments and sexually abusive remarks.
Governor Soludo’s opponents in the coming November 2025 governorship election in the state have accused him of indifference to the assault and lack of empathy for the female corps member. They claimed that an incident that happened in July never attracted the state governor’s attention even when it was brought to its notice, but Soludo they alleged, had to wait until a viral video exposed the evil perpetrated by his vigilante team. They asked if such behaviour was a sign of good leader or the antics of a failed governor who harasses opponents with local vigilantes. According to them, if the footage had not gone viral, Soludo would not have taken any concrete action against his attack dogs because the vigilantes have been dehumanizing indigenes of the state for a long time.
However, hours after the viral video, the Anambra government arrested eight members of the Agunechemba security operatives who assaulted Elobor.
The state government also denounced attack on the lady.
The assault was characterised by Ken Emeakayi, adviser on Community Security to Governor Chukwuma Soludo, as “unfortunate and unacceptable” during an interview.
Reactions Trail Agunechemba Vigilante Members’ Lawlessness
The government of Anambra State has also dismissed the eight security operatives of the Agunaechemba who assaulted Elobor.
They were sacked over their involvement in the assault.
Emeakayi while speaking on a Television interview on Tuesday, August 19, 2025, said the actions of the operatives were condemnable.
“The action of the security operatives are condemnable, and, as such all the operatives involved in that despicable action of stripping the NYSC member naked have been disengaged from the state government’s vigilant service.
“Whenever the state police command is ready for their prosecution, as a government we will produce them,” Emeakayi said.
But the NYSC has strongly condemned the assault of its female member by operatives of the Anambra State Vigilante Group.
In a statement issued by the Acting Director of Information and Public Relations, Caroline Embu, the NYSC described the actions of the vigilante operatives as “unacceptable and dehumanising.”
The management stressed that the conduct of the group was indefensible, regardless of its purported reason for investigating the facility where corps members were residing.
The statement reads: “The Management of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) is saddened by the unfortunate assault on one of its female Corps Member by some operatives of the Anambra State Vigilante Group in Oba, Idemili South LGA of Anambra State.
“Management strongly condemns the unacceptable and dehumanising manner in which the operatives conducted their operations, irrespective of their initial justification for the purported investigation they set out to carry at the facility where the Corps Members were accommodated.
“While appreciating the concern of the general public over this horrific incident, as well as the initial measures taken by the Anambra State Government, Management wishes to assure the general public that it believes in, and supports the ongoing investigation by the Nigeria Police Force towards unravelling what transpired.
“This we trust will help get justice for the corps member in question and any other aggrieved party.
“Furthermore, necessary administrative procedures are underway to assist the Corps Member in question in managing the physiological and psychological trauma resulting from this unfortunate incident”.
Former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has condemned the assault, insisting that it was shameful and unacceptable. In a post on his official X handle on Tuesday, August 19, Obi described the incident as “inhumane, barbaric and primitive,” adding that he felt “ashamed and heartbroken” that such an act could take place in 2025.
“That young girl could have been anyone’s daughter, sister, or even mine,” Obi wrote. “What happened is not only a violation of law and morality, but also a direct assault on our collective humanity.
“Our humanity must always come first. Without it, we are nothing but a people adrift in cruelty,” he added.
In a recent post that the former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili shared on her page, she also condemned the assault. Ezekwesili told the governor of Anambra State to stop the violence against women in the state.
According to Oby Ezekwesili on her official X account;
“I expect governor, Charles Soludo to lead on curbing this scourge that has seen thousands of women maimed or killed by people who believe there will never be consequences”.
Elobor’s lawyer, Cyrus Onu, who represents the victim, said the perpetrators must pay damages as there must be consequences for bad behaviour.
Onu said that the perpetrators had threatened to rape and kill her for speaking out during the incident.
“They [security agents] were banging the door, and Jennifer was trying to open the door, and they just kicked the door, and it almost hit their face.
“Most of them were masked in mufti with guns, so you can imagine how scared the kids [corps members] were.
“They [security agents] didn’t give any identification. They just said, ‘Come down, come down. You’re all thieves! You’re all ‘Yahoo’ people!’
“When they tried to drag them downstairs, Jennifer was insisting that if they must take them anywhere, they should allow them to call their LGI [Local Government Inspector] because the corps members did not know who the operatives were.
“That was when they started bouncing on her. They made derogatory comments, asking her who gave her the right as a lady to speak to them anyhow. They started beating her.
“She asked them to allow her to change into something appropriate, and they said, ‘That thing you’re trying to cover, we’ll see it today. We’ll beat you up, we’ll rape you, kill you, and dump you, and nobody can say anything,” Onu added.
The Anambra State government has also said it would prosecute the eight operatives who unleashed the assault on the female youth corps member. “They have to be prosecuted, that is the least for now. We believe that in a week or two the matter will be in court”, said Dr. Law Mefor, the Anambra State Commissioner of Information during a recent interview.
Dr. Mefor said further, “Those are just eight men, they don’t represent the over 4,000 operatives of Agunechemba. What these eight operatives did was an isolated act not typical of Operation Udo Gachi. They should be punished and made to pay for their actions.
“Their action is not the standard, it’s isolated, government want to ensure that an example is made of this isolated case to show others that there is a line you cannot cross”.
