*As Ebonyi police confirms incident
By Ruth Oginyi
There is capable tension among serving corps members in Ebonyi State as gunmen suspected to be ritualists have reportedly forced two female corps members serving in the state to remove their underwear including their sanitary pad at gunpoint.
WARRI TODAY learnt that the ritualists believed to be Yahoo Boys had before forcing the corpers to remove their pants, had reportedly kidnapped them to an unknown destination where they were robbed of their personal belongings including handsets.
The incident, our correspondent gathered, occurred around Oshiegbe, a boundary community in the Ohaukwu and Ezza North Local Government Areas of the state on 5th of February, 2019.
Giving details of the incident to WARRI TODAY, sources disclosed that the corps members were picked suspected ritualists in a flashy black jeep on their way from Eziulo to Ezzangbo community when they were allegedly kidnapped.
The corps members who were said to have been recently posted to the area on getting to 135 Junction where they were expected to drop from the vehicle the driver of the Jeep diverted to a different direction promising to take them to their destination.
Our sources said one of the victims who was seeing her monthly flow was forced to packaged her pant and sanitary pad with the gunmen pointing gun on her head.
One of the sources said, “The corps members were picked by the suspected ritualists who driving in a flashy black Jeep on their way from Eziulo to Ezzangbo but when they got to 135 junction, the driver diverted and told the girls that he was going to a nearby private school from where they will take them to Ezzangbo junction.
“The hoodlums took advantage of the fact that the corps members were strangers and do not know the exact place they were been taken to until they were stopped in a lonely place, forced them to remove their pants at a gun point.”
The incident has led to palpable tension among corps members particularly serving female corpers in the state.
It was further learnt that the ritualists after collecting the pants, however, disposed the female corps members of their phones and smashed them on the floor.
The victims were said to be in good health at the time of filing this report.
When contacted, the Ebonyi State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Loveth Odah confirmed the report, saying that the incident happened on Tuesday.
Odah warned women to stop jumping into unknown cars for a lift, adding that Ebonyi people should be vigilant as the police is working hard to protect the residents of the state.
Giving details of the incident, “On 5th of February, 2019, Female corps members reported to Divisional Headquarters in Ohaukwu Local Government Area to report that on their way coming from Ezillo in Ishielu Local Government Area to Abakaliki, a Jeep stopped in front of them and asked them to pay N200 each to be conveyed to Abakaliki.
“They entered. On reaching 135 Junction they 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 Oshiegbe community, at the boundary area between Ohaukwu and Ezza North Local Government 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.
“One them shed tears when she remember 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.
She gave out police distress numbers for emergency situations:07064515001 and 07033612251 PPRO, 08064944617.
