Drama as hoodlums strip corps members naked

Two female members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) serving in Ebonyi State have become the latest victims of the pants-for rituals menace ravaging sections of the country.

The two corps members, it was gathered, were forced by some yet-to-be-identified unidentified hoodlums to remove their clothes, including their pants and hand them over to them (hoodlums). One of the corps members, who was on her period, had her blood socked pants and sanitary pads taken away by the hoodlums.

The incident, it was further learnt, happened at Oshiegbe community, near the boundary between Ohaukwu and Ezza North council area of the state. Police spokesman in the state, Loveth Odah confirmed the incident. She said: “On 5th of February, 2019, Female corps members reported to Divisional Headquarters in Ohaukwu council area to report that on their way coming from Ezillo in Ishielu council area to Abakaliki, a jeep stopped in front of them and asked them to pay N200 each to be conveyed to Abakaliki.

They entered”. According to the spokesman, on reaching 135 Junction, at Ezzamgbo, the men diverted to another direction and told them that they wanted to pick something from a teacher at St. Michael Secondary School, Ezzamgbo. “When they got to Os hiegbe community, at the boundary area between Ohaukwu and Ezza North council areas, the driver stopped and came down”. “He told them that he wanted to ease himself. He immediately went to the back door, opened the door and pointed a gun them; ordering them to come down and give them all their cloths including their pants.

The spokesman said that one of the corps members shed tears when she remembered that she was in her period. “They collected their pants and her sanitary pad and drove off. Before driving off, they collected their phones and smashed them on the spot”. “We also learnt that when they meet women who are not wearing pants, they give them pants and force them to wear them for about five minutes before taking them away from their victims”, Odah said. She urged travellers to always go to designated motor parks to board vehicles whenever they are traveling to avoid such attacks.

The Nation