Police arrest two for allegedly severing corps member’s hand

TWO suspected attackers of a female National
Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member posted to
Obuah community in Yenagoa Local Council of
Bayelsa State, Miss Folakemi Akinbode, were
Thursday arrested by the police.
The suspects claimed they attacked her with a
machete due to her refusal to hand over
unspecified cash in her possession.
The suspects, identified as Ebi Jatto and
Weriye Aluwa, were arrested on Wednesday at
the Koroama community in Yenagoa Local
Council of the state while attempting to sell
the handset belonging to the attacked corps
member.
A top police source told The Guardian that
the suspects had confessed to commiting the
crime and claimed the Folakemi, the 26-year-
old Ondo State indigene, struggled with them
while they were attempting to snatch her bag.
Folakemi, who was attacked at about 8.30
p.m. on Monday while returning to the
Corpers’ Lodge near the Niger Delta University
Teaching Hospital, Okolobori, was reported to
have been in possession of huge amount of
money used by the hospital to pay blood
donors.
According to the police source, the two
attackers were present during the payment
made to the blood donors by the Corps
member, adding “they claimed that all they
wanted from her was the remaining money she
kept in her bag after the payments in the
afternoon. But that when she struggled and
identified one of them, she was attacked with a
machete.”
Confirming the arrest, the paramount ruler of
Obunagha community, the Ibolou XI, Godsgive
Apoh, said the arrest of the suspected
attackers was made possible by the
community’s Youth Vigilance Association set up
to investigate and apprehend the culprits.
Contacted on the development, the State
Police Public Relations Officer, Alex Akhigbe,
confirmed the arrest and said they were yet to
establish the motive behind the attack.