Fear and anxiety have gripped families of prospective members of the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, following the abduction of some graduates traveling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom States.
The incident reportedly occurred along the notorious Owerri-Onitsha Road in Imo State, where gunmen suspected to be kidnappers attacked two commercial buses conveying the prospective corps members to their respective orientation camps for the ongoing national service programme.
According to reports, the two buses were ambushed by heavily armed men who blocked the highway, forced the vehicles to stop at gunpoint and whisked away several passengers into the surrounding bush, including the young graduates who were heading to resume national service.
The abduction has sparked widespread outrage across the country, with many Nigerians expressing concern over the deteriorating security situation on major highways and the growing vulnerability of road travelers, especially young Nigerians answering the national call to serve their fatherland.
Parents of some of the affected corps members who spoke to journalists in Ibadan said they have been in distress since hearing the news, appealing to the Federal Government and security agencies to urgently secure the release of their children unharmed and without delay.
The National Youth Service Corps management is yet to release an official statement on the exact number of prospective corps members abducted, but sources said efforts are already underway to contact relevant security agencies and the affected families.
The development has again raised questions about the safety of NYSC members traveling across the country to orientation camps, with many stakeholders calling for a review of the deployment and transportation arrangement for corps members.
Reacting to the incident, Security Analyst, Saviour Akpan, described the abduction as unfortunate and a reflection of the worsening insecurity along major highways in the South-East and other parts of the country.
Akpan urged the Federal and State Governments to urgently strengthen security architecture along major highways, particularly the Owerri-Onitsha expressway which has become a hotspot for kidnapping and armed robbery in recent months.
He noted that road travelers are now exposed to serious danger due to the activities of criminal elements who operate freely on highways, calling for increased patrol, intelligence gathering and deployment of security operatives to vulnerable routes.
The security expert stressed that government must take proactive steps to address the growing threat of abduction facing road travelers, rather than reacting only after such tragic incidents have occurred, adding that lives of innocent citizens should not be left at the mercy of criminals.
Akpan also called for better coordination among security agencies, including the police, army, civil defense and local vigilante groups, to ensure that highways are adequately manned and that criminal hideouts along major roads are dismantled.
He further advised that technology such as surveillance cameras, drones and emergency communication systems should be deployed along highways to aid quick response to distress calls and to track movements of kidnappers.
Meanwhile, civil society organizations have joined in condemning the abduction, describing it as an attack on the nation’s youth development programme and a direct assault on the NYSC scheme which is meant to foster national unity and integration.
Some of the organizations urged the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency on highway security, pointing out that if prospective corps members who are traveling to serve the nation can be abducted, then no Nigerian road user is safe.
They also called on the NYSC management to consider providing more secure transportation arrangements for prospective corps members or allowing them to report to camps closest to their states of residence to minimize long-distance travel risks.
As at the time of filing this report, security operatives in Imo State have reportedly launched a manhunt for the kidnappers, combing surrounding bushes and forests in an effort to rescue the abducted corps members and other passengers.
Family members and friends of the victims have continued to appeal for prayers and for urgent intervention from the government, expressing fear over the safety of their loved ones in the kidnappers’ den.
The incident has once again brought to the fore the urgent need for comprehensive security reform in the country, as Nigerians continue to live in fear of traveling by road due to the increasing cases of kidnapping for ransom.
It is expected that the Federal Government and the Imo State Government will issue a formal statement on the matter in the coming hours, while Nigerians await good news regarding the safe rescue of the abducted prospective corps members traveling from Ibadan to Abia and Akwa Ibom States
