By Frank Tietie

A disturbing incident occurred recently in Oba, Idemili South Local Government Area of Anambra State, where operatives of the Agunechemba Vigilante Group, also known as Operation Udo Ga-Achi, assaulted a female National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member named Jennifer Edema Elohor and her colleagues.

A viral video, shared by the Haven 360 Foundation on August 18, 2025, showed armed vigilantes storming a corps members’ lodge, accusing them of being internet fraudsters (“yahoo people”) despite the victims presenting valid NYSC identification cards and uniforms.

In the footage, Jennifer Edema Elohor was beaten, stripped naked, and left covered in blood, subjected to humiliating and sexually degrading threats.

The Anambra State Government condemned the assault as “unacceptable” and confirmed that the operatives involved were arrested and detained pending investigation. The Anambra State Police Command is also investigating the case.

However, the incident has not sparked the expected public outrage, including calls for justice and compensation for the victims, as seen in the recent case of Comfort Emmanson, the unfortunate assault victim at the hands of Ibom Air attendants.

Perhaps since Haven 360 was discreet in sharing the video of the naked girls without revealing cleavages, there are yet to be announcements of compensation from good Nigerian males to the young women who were brutally beaten and sexually humiliated by a band of non-state actors who have had the tacit support and endorsement of the Anambra State Government.

However, more importantly, recently, the amiable Governor of Edo State, Senator Monday Okpebholo, set a new trend by taking responsibility for the actions of Vigilante Group members who killed 16 travellers from Northern Nigeria, particularly Kano State, as they were passing through Uromi in Edo State on a supposed hunting trip.

As tempers flared across Northern Nigeria over the Uromi killings, the smart Edo Governor chose the responsible course of action by visiting the people of Kano State, not only to apologise and seek forgiveness on behalf of the Edo people but also to offer significant compensatory payments to the victims’ families. That was a masterstroke in responsible governance.

In Anambra, where young female graduates deployed to the state on a mandatory national youth service were targeted and attacked by a barbaric group of untrained and uneducated village men operating as a state-sanctioned security outfit because the state government could not guarantee security for the people, Nigerians, the NYSC, and the Federal Government must demand accountability from Governor Charles Soludo, the Governor of Anambra State.

Communities across Nigeria have long taken pride in accepting and caring for NYSC members serving the children and women of their communities as medical doctors, school teachers, agricultural extension service providers, etc.

A group of uneducated village men, armed with unrestrained power and intoxicated by illegal local authority, would easily stereotype these upscale NYSC girls serving in their communities as “yahoo yahoo people” because of their relatively urbane lifestyles compared to those of the villagers.

This must be a massive embarrassment to the people of Anambra and a call to review the NYSC Act to ensure the security of Corps members and to blacklist hostile communities and, by extension, some states and their people.

Returning to responsible governance, Governor Soludo must apologise to the NYSC and the Federal Government on behalf of the Anambra people.

Even if the girls were culpable for a reason, the way they were sexually and physically abused is unacceptable by minimum legal standards.

The administration of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State, as part of its duty to protect the well-being of Delta State residents like Jennifer Edema Elohor, must demand accountability on her behalf.

It should also ensure that the investigation reaches a proper conclusion, that the offenders are punished, and that suitable compensation is provided to the victims. The same procedures should be followed for other female corps members who were victims of the brutal assault.

The attorneys general of the states from which the corps members originate and the National Human Rights Commission must offer the necessary legal advice and support to enable the corps members to receive adequate compensation if their rights have indeed been violated by the so-called vigilance group of Anambra State.

In our pursuit to enhance Nigeria’s living standards, we must emphasise individual rights and well-being as the foundation of governance and development.

Frank Tietie, Esq.

Development Lawyer and Media Personality,

Writes from Abuja

The pre-event news has gone viral. The banners are up. The people are waiting. On Saturday the 23rd of August, 2025, the Arise Town Square Meeting storms Nsit Ubium Local Government Council Grounds in Ikot Edibon.

It is the culmination of the epochal town square meetings and empowerment series convened by Governor Umo Bassey Eno across the ten Federal Constituencies in Akwa Ibom State.

The marathon of accountability and people-powered dialogue, which commenced in Abak-Etim Ekpo-Ika Federal Constituency in March 2025, berths in Etinan-Nsit Ibom-Nsit Ubium Federal Constituency, the home turf of His Excellency, the Governor.

It has been hectic and tedious, but do not expect a governor limping to the grand finale, weary and spent. Believe me, he will arrive bristling with confidence, joy, and high watts of energy, armed with a scorecard of promises kept, and ready for the people’s verdict.

This is not a jamboree; it is a day of accountability and massive empowerment for the people of the three Local Government Areas.

It will also be a moment of reckoning. The microphone, as it has been in other federal constituencies, belongs to the governed. Methinks the ARISE Town Square Meetings have proven that governance is a conversation, not a monologue. And on Saturday, thousands will throng the expansive Nsit Ubium Local Government Council Grounds for this all-important meeting.

Time for the meeting is 1:00 PM. See you there!

*(Ofonime Honesty hails from Ikot Udobia Community in Etinan LGA)*

By Ifeanyi Chijioke

Dear Rev,

Firstly, I want to loudly and emphatically relay the message: Mimiy Ifeoma Azikiwe won the election. You personally threatened voters with death.

The threat to not vote for APGA etcetera in Onitsha North Constituency 1 because of the ADC candidate came from your pulpit, and usually, our people fearfully listen and obey commands from the pulpit. But this time, they disobeyed and chose a kindhearted woman over you.

Rev., somebody might not have shared this blunt truth with you, so now listen up: the more you engage in this kind of vindictive politics, the more you lose relevance. The more you issue threats of death and the people don’t die, the more you abuse your pulpit and expose yourself.

Mimiy Ifeoma Azikiwe won, and the people didn’t vote ADC. Today, I am still waiting for the count of those who died because they didn’t vote ADC. Rev. The earlier you realize that your battle is spiritual and not physical, the better for you.

There is a religious revolution that swept across the Southeastern part of Nigeria; gone are the days religious leaders sheepishly control the people. Stop living in your imagination; politics is not religion.

Rev., you built schools with the money of the poor and rich who attend your church, but you made the schools outrageously expensive for the poor and average, yet the people who fight to build alternative schools where the poor and average can attend are being fought by you.

I am not saying you shouldn’t have your opinion or belong to a political party or cabal of your choice, but learn to be godly and be principled.

Stop threatening the people who disagree with you with ineffective spirituality or religion. Stop the dance of disgrace and shame. Stop the grandstanding and be principled for once.

Finally, let me bring to your notice that people online have been insulting you and making a mockery of you. They are saying that a woman floored you. They are saying that Mimiy Ifeoma Azikiwe is a class your money and threats couldn’t shake.

They said nobody takes you seriously anymore because you have disgraced yourself and rolled yourself on the muddy ground of church politics.

Your close associates might be fearful to tell you that you are destroying everything left of you, but it’s alright; you can accept it with a pinch of salt from me. You are truly destroying everything left of you.

Today is still early. You can make amends and reach out to those you offended or are warring with. Make peace with everyone and diplomatically go about the business of politics.

As a Rev. Father, you have the right to vote and be voted for. You have the right of association—to belong to any political party. But you don’t have the right to threaten the electorate under the guise of religion.

The people will continue to vote based on their convictions and scorecards of candidates, and not based on your pulpit threats and religious leanings.

Thanks.

(DDM) – Human rights lawyer and activist, Dele Farotimi, has accused Nigeria’s political elite of normalizing poverty while retirees and ordinary citizens suffer decades of neglect.

Diaspora Digital Media (DDM) gathered that Farotimi made the remarks during a discussion monitored on Channels TV on Monday, August 18, 2025, where he highlighted the plight of pensioners in Ekiti State as an example of systemic injustice.

He lamented that many retirees in the state have not received their pensions or gratuities for more than 15 years, despite dedicating their lives to public service.

Farotimi further revealed that some pensioners have been left waiting over 30 months without a single payment from the government.

According to him, this is not merely an administrative lapse but a deliberate cruelty that strips vulnerable citizens of dignity at their most critical stage of life.

The activist argued that Nigeria’s political class thrives on exploiting the masses while shielding itself from the consequences of bad governance.

He described the process as “plucking the feathers of the people without anesthesia” to build wealth, comfort, and privilege for a few at the expense of the majority.

Farotimi warned that the entrenched system of exploitation has made suffering a normal part of Nigerian life, tolerated because those who create it are insulated from its effects.

He stressed that until the pain of poverty, corruption, and neglect reaches the same elite who govern, reforms will remain elusive.

“The ruiners of Nigeria have done a fantastic job of feathering their own nest by plucking the feathers of Nigerian victims,” he said.

He added that ordinary Nigerians endure raw, unrelenting suffering while politicians recycle themselves in power with access to wealth, healthcare, and privileges that ordinary citizens cannot dream of.

In his words, the nation has reached a dangerous point where injustice is sustained by silence, because the rich are immune to the suffering that cripples the poor.

Farotimi cautioned that the future is bleak if young people fail to recognize the cycle of neglect they will inherit.

He reminded Nigerians that today’s students and workers are tomorrow’s retirees, and without reform, they too will be abandoned.

The activist emphasized that justice and progress can only begin when the pain of the governed is shared by those who govern.

Analysts note that the plight of Ekiti retirees mirrors wider pension struggles across Nigeria, where delayed payments and systemic corruption have left elderly citizens impoverished.

Civil society groups have repeatedly called on state governments to prioritize pension payments, describing it as a constitutional responsibility that cannot be postponed.

Nigeria has one of the highest rates of unpaid pension arrears in Africa, with billions of naira owed to retired workers across multiple states.

For many, the Ekiti example is a tragic symbol of governance failure and a warning sign of a future where neglect continues to define leadership.

(DDM) – First impressions during job interviews often go far beyond spoken words or qualifications.

DDM gathered that even the colors you choose to wear can silently influence how recruiters perceive your personality and professionalism.

Experts say colors play a powerful role in non-verbal communication, especially in high-stakes settings like job interviews.

While some shades project confidence, trust, and credibility, others can create unintended impressions that work against you.

There are four specific colors career coaches widely recommend avoiding when dressing for interviews.

The first is red, a color often associated with dominance, aggression, or power struggles.

Though it can convey passion, in the interview context it may appear too forceful or intimidating.

Hiring managers may interpret it as arrogance rather than confidence.

The second is orange, a vibrant shade linked to creativity but also to impulsiveness and lack of seriousness.

In corporate or conservative industries, orange is considered distracting and unprofessional.

It may give the impression that you are not grounded enough for demanding roles.

The third is brown, a color that can signal reliability but often comes across as dull or uninspiring.

Interviewers may subconsciously perceive it as lacking energy or innovation, especially in roles requiring fresh ideas.

The fourth is yellow, a cheerful shade that symbolizes positivity but can feel overwhelming in formal settings.

Too much yellow may look unprofessional or even strain the eyes, creating discomfort rather than warmth.

Instead of these colors, career experts recommend safer choices like blue, black, gray, and white.

Blue is widely regarded as the most trustworthy interview color, projecting calmness and dependability.

Black communicates authority and sophistication, though it should be softened with other tones to avoid looking overly stern.

Gray suggests balance, neutrality, and professionalism, making it a strong safe choice.

White represents clarity and simplicity, often signaling honesty and organization.

Psychologists emphasize that the goal of interview attire is to enhance your credibility without becoming a distraction.

Your skills, experience, and confidence should remain the focal point, not your clothing.

By avoiding the wrong shades, you ensure your outfit supports rather than undermines your chances.

For job seekers in competitive markets, every detail can make a difference, including what color you wear.

Recruiters are trained to assess both verbal and non-verbal cues, and attire remains part of that equation.

Ultimately, dressing wisely for interviews shows not just professionalism but also awareness of workplace expectations.

As fashion consultants put it, the right color can help you “walk in with confidence and walk out with an offer.”

For candidates preparing for upcoming interviews, understanding the psychology of colors could provide an edge.

In today’s tough job market, even small choices like wardrobe can separate successful applicants from the rest.

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