The streets of Anambra have once again been thrown into chaos and outrage following a disturbing viral video showing Governor Charles Soludo’s so-called “vigilante operatives” humiliating and brutalising a young female corps member. The operatives were seen stripping her completely naked over allegations of internet fraud a crime that has not been proven in any court of law.
This act raises more questions than answers: When did vigilantes become prosecutors, judges, and executioners? If Soludo’s government is truly committed to fighting crime, is the way forward to unleash half-trained men with guns and sticks to dehumanise innocent citizens?
The most shameful part of this saga is that the victim is a serving corps member, someone meant to be under the protection of the state while giving a year of service to Nigeria. Instead of protection, she got degradation her dignity stripped away in the full glare of the public.
Critics argue that Soludo’s vigilante squads have turned into an unregulated militia, meting out jungle justice rather than law enforcement. Alleged suspects are flogged, paraded, stripped, and sometimes even killed without trial. Today it is a corps member; tomorrow it could be any young man or woman simply caught walking with a phone or laptop.
Is this how Anambra intends to attract investors or assure safety to its youth? Is public humiliation the new face of “crime prevention” under Soludo?
The irony is glaring: internet fraud remains rampant in the state, yet the government’s “solution” seems more focused on public spectacle and intimidation rather than real systemic reform. Instead of strengthening the police, courts, and youth empowerment programmes, the government has empowered vigilantes who appear more interested in violence and extortion.
This viral video should not just trend and fade away. Nigerians must demand accountability from Soludo’s administration. The young corps member deserves justice, compensation, and an apology. Those operatives must be identified and prosecuted for assault and public indecency.
If Governor Soludo continues to look the other way, then his much-touted “Solution Government” may go down in history as one that institutionalised jungle justice in Anambra.
