Doctors are battling to save the life of a female member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) serving her one-year mandatory service in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
The Corps member was reportedly assaulted and raped by a 15-man gang of robbers.
The robbers invaded the ‘Corpers Lodge’ at Yenizue Gene, a suburb of Yenagoa, about 3a.m. yesterday.
It was learnt that the armed robbers overpowered the neighbourhood vigilantes who are usually armed with only sticks and machetes. Emboldened, the hoodlums reportedly went to the NYSC Corpers Lodge where they forcibly took away a female Corps member.
According to a resident of the community, who spoke on anonymity, the Corps member was repeatedly raped by the hoodlums who took her in turns.
She was, however, taken to the hospital for treatment. Local sources said though the police were alerted, there was little they could do because the area had been thrown into darkness by the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHEDC).
A vigilante, who gave his name simply as Tonye, said that the security men were afraid of running into an ambush.
For now indigenes of Yenizue Gene, who had been complacent over the issue of security, were contemplating forming a vigilance group to tackle crime in their community. Contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Asinim Butswat, said that he had not got a clear information about the incident.