The Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere; National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS and the Coalition of United Political Parties, CUPP, have mounted pressure on the Federal Government for the immediate release of the abducted National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, members in Imo State.
While CUPP urged security chiefs to take proactive measures and assume operational responsibility for securing the victims’ release, Afenifere sympathised with the families of the victims and proffered ideas on how to put a stop to such incidents.
CUPP condemned the abduction, stating that the graduates were undertaking a national obligation and should have been able to travel safely to their orientation camps.
“These young Nigerians were not criminals or combatants. They were graduates responding to a national obligation. Their only offence was travelling on a Nigerian road,” the coalition said.
On its part, Afenifere, in a statement on Monday, condemned the incident and observed that the risk of being kidnapped would greatly reduce if prospective corps members did not have to travel such long distances for the purpose of youth service, given the prevailing situation in the country.
“The idea here is to reduce the tendency of a prospective corps member to travel from one part of the country to another for the purpose of serving the country under the NYSC policy,” Afenifere said.
Similarly, the Southwest Zone D chapter of the National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, raised concerns over alleged ransom demands of up to N50 million for some of the abducted prospective NYSC members.
A statement by the NANS Southwest Zone D Coordinator, Adeyemo Josiah; General Secretary, Ojetola Babatunde; and Public Relations Officer, Olugbemi Timothy, described the incident as a serious security concern requiring urgent government action.
The association charged the Federal Government to review compulsory long-distance postings and introduce safer deployment and transportation arrangements for prospective corps members.
The association expressed concern that the victims were travelling to comply with the compulsory national service programme, arguing that the government should take greater responsibility for the safety of graduates required to travel long distances for the programme.
“A country cannot summon its youths and abandon their security,” the association said.
The prospective corps members were kidnapped near Umunoha in Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State while travelling towards Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, and Bende, Abia State.
