The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide, the youth arm of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organization, has called for the immediate disbandment of a local security
outfit in Anambra State known as Udo Ga-Achi. This demand follows public outrage over a viral video showing members of the outfit brutalizing a female National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member, identified as Ms. Jennifer Elobor.
The disturbing footage, which has sparked condemnation across Nigeria, showed heavily armed operatives of the outfit physically assaulting the corps member.
The incident has reignited longstanding concerns about the conduct of local security groups in the state.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the National President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council, Mazi Okwu Nnabuike, described the assault as one among many long-standing human rights violations by the outfit.
“Before now, there have been several reports about how this group infringes on people’s rights and engages in trial by ordeal,” Okwu said.
“They’ve brutalized countless innocent individuals and have operated as if above the law.”
Okwu added that rights groups, including Intersociety, have raised alarms about the group’s excesses for years, but their concerns were largely ignored until the Elobor incident brought renewed national attention.
He urged Governor Chukwuma Soludo to take immediate action by disbanding the outfit, initiating a fresh recruitment process, and ensuring any new operatives are properly vetted and trained.
“There must also be a mandatory drug test for all prospective recruits,” he stressed. “We cannot afford a repeat of what Nigerians saw in that video.”
Okwu further demanded that the officers involved in the assault face open prosecution by the Nigeria Police, warning against shielding any perpetrators from justice.
“There should be no sacred cows,” he declared. “The Anambra State Government must also compensate Ms. Elobor adequately for the trauma and physical abuse she endured.”
The Ohanaeze Youth Council emphasized that while community-based security may be necessary in some areas, it must operate within the bounds of the law and with full respect for human rights.
