Attacked female corps member to be flown abroad

 Indications emerged yesterday that a female member of the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, Miss Folakemi Akinbode, whose right hand was chopped off last Monday by armed robbers at Obunagha, Bayelsa State, would be flown abroad for treatment next week.

Already, a presidential aspirant in the Ijaw Youth Council election and activist, Udengs Eradiri, has paid the visa fees of Akinbode to facilitate the trip.

It was learnt that an Italian firm has promised to bankroll the foreign medical treatment of the corps member currently receiving treatment at the Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa.

Akinbode regained consciousness barely three days after a machete attack by some armed robbers who invaded the NYSC’s lodge at Obunagha.

National Mirror was reliably informed that two suspects, Ebi Jatto and Weriye Aluwa, linked with the attack on the corps member were arrested on Wednesday at Okolobiri, a neighbouring village to Obunagha, while attempting to sell the corps member’s stolen cell phone.

A police source, who did not want his name in print, confided in National Mirror in Yenagoa that both suspects had confessed to the crime.

The suspects claimed they attacked the corps members with their machete for resisting to hand over an unspecified sum in her possession.

Akinbode, 26, a Batch ‘A’ corps member, is serving with the state-owned Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital, Okolobiri, near Yenagoa.

It was learnt that Akinbode was reportedly in charge of a huge amount of money used by the hospital to pay blood donors at the blood bank section of the hospital.

A police source said the two suspects were present during the payment made to blood donors by the youth corps member in the hospital.

He said: “They claimed all they wanted from her was the remaining money she kept in her bag after the payments .When she struggled and identified one of the attackers, she was attacked with machete.”

The monarch of Obunagha, King Godsgive Apoh, confirmed the arrest of the suspects, saying that the speedy arrest of the attackers was made possible following an emergency youth meeting of a vigilance association in the locality.