NYSC KIDNAP: Afenifere Backs Local Deployment of Corps Members
…Urges immediate amendment of NYSC Act to allow service within states, geo-political zones
The pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, has expressed concern over the abduction of 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps members who were travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to their orientation camps in the South-East.
The group also urged the Federal Government to urgently reform the NYSC scheme to reduce the security risks associated with long-distance journeys by corps members.
In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Jare Ajayi, Afenifere said the 20 graduates, who left the Samonda area of Ibadan on September 30, were reportedly abducted near Umunoha in Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State.
The victims were travelling towards Uyo in Akwa Ibom State and Bende in Abia State, while their abductors reportedly initially demanded 100 million naira ransom per victim before reducing the demand to five million naira each.
Afenifere said it had been advocating since 2021 for a review of the NYSC policy to allow graduates serve in their states of origin or residence, or at least within neighbouring states in the same geopolitical zone.
The organisation recalled President Bola Tinubu’s July 1, 2026, directive for the Ministries of Youth Development and Justice to commence the process of amending the NYSC Act, and urged the authorities to expedite the process.
It also appealed to the NYSC to consider temporary deployment of graduates within their states or geopolitical zones on security grounds.
The organisation further called on the Federal Government, security agencies and the Oyo and Imo State governments to intensify efforts to secure the immediate release of the abducted graduates. Afenifere suggested that the strategy adopted in rescuing victims of the recent Oriire abduction in Oyo State could be adapted to secure the safe release of the NYSC members.
Afenifere also welcomed the creation of four additional Army divisional headquarters in Makurdi, Ilorin, Jalingo and Benin City, saying the expansion would strengthen security surveillance and response to emergencies.
On the persistent challenge of kidnapping and banditry, the group called for the strict enforcement of the 2022 Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act, stressing that effective implementation of the law would help reduce terrorism, kidnapping and other security threats across the country.
