70 members abducted in five years shows NYSC security advisory weakness

As the 20 National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members abducted by gunmen regained their freedom after spending seven days in captivity, Nigerians are concerned about the safety of corps members across the country.

Despite repeated safety advisories and warnings issued by the NYSC, at least 70 corps members have been abducted nationwide in the past five years, BusinessDay has found.

An analysis of media reports between 2024 and October 2026 showed that the 70 corps members were kidnapped across Nigeria’s six geo-political zones.

Parents and security experts have said the recurring abductions, involving corps members deployed to various parts of the country, have exposed persistent vulnerabilities and heightened concerns among prospective corps members and stakeholders over the safety of the mandatory one-year service.

“With all these cases of kidnapping that are happening, before sending my daughter for NYSC, I would definitely have a rethink, because it is clear that their safety cannot be guaranteed. Nobody wants to raise a child and then hand them over to kidnappers all because of service,” one parent told BusinessDay.

A timeline of kidnappings across regions

During the five-year period, BusinessDay found that there have been 13 cases of kidnapping involving NYSC corps members.

In 2022, Faith Onoriode was kidnapped on March 21, and Omoboade Adesina, an NYSC staff member in Ekiti State, was kidnapped on April 22.

In February 2023, unknown gunmen intercepted 15 corps members along the Ihiala-Orlu Road in Anambra State after they finished their orientation camp in Imo State.

The same year, eight Akwa Ibom State Corps members were ambushed and abducted on a highway in Zamfara State while travelling to their orientation camp.

Also, on January 11, 2024, an NYSC member was kidnapped along the Benue-Enugu highway while travelling back to her PPA in Benue.

On March 29, 2024, a serving NYSC member was among nine people kidnapped along Patani-Ughelli Road, and five corps members travelling from their orientation camp were kidnapped along Benin-Owo Expressway on July 18.

Two corps members were abducted between November and December 2024.

On January 9, 2025, an NYSC corps member was kidnapped on the Enugu-Ezike Road, and another corps member was abducted along the Benin-Ore Expressway in February.

In September of the same year, an NYSC member serving in Bauchi was kidnapped in Plateau State.

Between August and October 2026, not less than 36 corps members were kidnapped.

Gunmen kidnapped 15 NYSC members along the Aloma-Egane Expressway in the Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State while they were returning from their orientation camp in Bayelsa State in August.

On October 1, 2026, unknown kidnappers intercepted two commercial buses along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in Imo State. At least 20 prospective corps members (PCMs), primarily graduates from the University of Ibadan and LAUTECH travelling to camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom, were taken hostage.

NYSC advisory fall short

In response to the growing wave of corps members’ kidnappings, the Scheme introduced a travel advisory; however, BusinessDay found that it has been unable to solve the lingering problem.

The Scheme introduced a travel and safety advisory for corps members, known as ‘Essential NYSC Travel Safety Tips’, which enjoins corps members not to embark on night travels, long-distance interstate travel, unfamiliar routes, or crowded motor parks; to patronise unregistered transit firms; and to locate police/military offices in case of stopover for safety.

However, BusinessDay findings show that corps members are being kidnapped in broad daylight, and registered transit companies are being attacked by kidnappers, which calls into question the effectiveness of these advisories.

For instance, Benue Links Nigeria Limited, ABC Transport, God Is Good Motors (GIGM), Akwa Ibom Transport Company, and Niger State Transport Authority, among others, have at one time or another been attacked by kidnappers.

SBM Intelligence recorded 7,825 kidnapping victims and at least N7.78 billion in ransom payments in one year, offering a measure of the financial incentives sustaining the crime.

The recent abduction of 20 prospective NYSC members in Imo State is the latest illustration of how kidnapping continues to target people travelling on Nigeria’s roads.

Stakeholders call for NYSC suspension

Omoyele Sowore, African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, has demanded the immediate suspension and eventual scrapping of the NYSC scheme entirely, arguing that the state can no longer guarantee the basic survival of the youth it mandates into service.

“You cannot force young Nigerians to ‘serve their fatherland’ when the same country cannot guarantee their safety while they travel to their places of service.

“The NYSC should be suspended immediately and ultimately scrapped. In the meantime, all corps members should be given the option to serve within their states of origin,” he said.

He proposed replacing the NYSC with what he described as a “Sowore 2027 presidency” with a two-year voluntary National Job Corps.

“Young Nigerians need jobs, opportunities, skills and security, not compulsory deployment into danger,” he noted.

Bolaji Abdullahi, former youth minister, asks that NYSC be temporarily suspended for one year, for structural reordering.

“Temporarily suspending the programme would give the government time to restructure it and put stronger protection measures in place for young Nigerians participating in the scheme.

“The objectives for which the NYSC was established after the 1973 Civil War remain relevant, particularly its role in promoting national unity,” he said.

Haruna Danjuma, National President of the Parents-Teacher Association of Nigeria (PTA/NAPTAN), urged the government to scrap or overhaul the scheme if transit safety cannot be guaranteed.

“On behalf of parents, we are not happy with what is happening. It is painful to lose a child. It is not easy to train a child from birth until they complete university and then at NYSC, the child gets kidnapped.

“We have said repeatedly that the government has the responsibility of ensuring the security and welfare of all Nigerians. Since they engaged these young graduates in the scheme, they must ensure the safety of our children,” he emphasised.

Experts call for security integration

Nubi Achebo, director of academic planning at Nigerian University of Technology and Management (NUTM), expressed concerns over the rising number of NYSC members abducted.

“If parents now see deployment to certain states as a death sentence or ransom trap, the moral legitimacy of the scheme collapses.

“When corps members become bargaining chips, criminals have learned that mobilisation periods are predictable; everyone knows when corps members move,” he said.

Achebo believes the way forward is to stop moving thousands of young people by road through known corridors. Besides, he said that NYSC should charter and escort buses from state capitals to camps, with a police/military convoy, tracking, and no night movement.

“NYSC needs a rapid response desk with negotiators and legal support, and a victim fund so families don’t sell everything.

“Scrapping NYSC sounds attractive when angry, but integration is still needed. However, can the government guarantee safe passage to camp and primary place of assignment?” he queried.

Jessica Osuere, an education planning expert, said, “Security should be part of the scheme’s planning architecture. Before deployment, security conditions, travel routes, accommodation and emergency response capacity should be systematically assessed.”

BusinessDay’s efforts to get the views of the Lagos State chapter of the NYSC proved abortive as the coordination and the public affairs officer did not pick up their calls nor respond to the messages sent to them.

BusinessDay contacted Caroline Embu, the public relations officer at NYSC’s directorate headquarters, for comment, but calls and messages were not responded to at the time of publication. (BusinessDay)