Gunmen on Tuesday night attacked the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) lodge along Udo Ekong Ekwere street in Uyo local government area of Akwa Ibom State.
The gunmen were said to have robbed as well as raped female corps members at the lodge.
It was gathered that the gunmen invaded the area around 1pm on tricycle carting away valuables including laptops, cell phones and cash.
Some of the corps members who spoke with journalists on Wednesday morning lamented that there was no help anywhere during the attack despite their cry for help.
One of the corps members, Emeka Emmanuel, said: “They arrived on a tricycle, popularly called Keke and immediately started operation.
“They banged on every door with heavy iron and threatened to shoot us if we failed to cooperate”.
A female Corps member, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, while fighting back tears, said her phones, laptop, and cash were forcefully taken away from her after the hoodlums gained entrance into her room.
“You know at that time of the night, most of us females, we used to sleep naked and the suddenness of the attack caught us unprepared. They beamed the torch through the window and threatened to shoot if the door was not quickly opened,” she explained.
“I have never heard of this anywhere in Nigeria, even in the North where insecurity is at the highest peak, that Corpers could be deliberately targeted, raped and robbed by criminals at gun point. Is it because we are not from Akwa Ibom that no one could hear our shouts and come to save us?” another female colleague, lamented.
Mr. Nsikak Ibanga, a night guard at the State Secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists which is located opposite the corpers lodge said: ” I raised alarm by hitting the supporting pillars holding the reconstructed NUJ auditorium,” stating “the sound reverberated across the whole area but no response”.
Another neighbour, Bassey Offiong, said: “When I heard the attack and the outcry of the Corpers, I quickly reached out to the Police at Ikot Akpanabia Command, which is very close here, but they arrived a little late, after the criminals had finished and left with their tricycle”.
The Youth Leader of the area, Comrade Godwin Okpo, blamed incessant criminals activities around communities on the collapse of internal security organised by the local residents.
When contacted Akwa Ibom Police Public Relations Officer Odiko Macdon said he was yet to be fully briefed on the incident, adding that he would investigate and get back to our correspondent.