Peter Obi Calls for Rescue of About 20 Abducted Prospective NYSC Members

The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has called for the immediate and safe rescue of about 20 prospective members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) who were reportedly abducted while travelling to their orientation camp.

Obi made the call in a statement shared on his official social media page on Sunday, describing the reported incident as another indication of growing concerns over insecurity across the country.

According to him, Nigerians should not become accustomed to insecurity or regard attacks on travellers as an unavoidable part of daily life.

Obi said the victims were young Nigerians travelling to participate in the national service programme but were reportedly unable to complete their journey safely because of insecurity along the nation’s roads.

He added that incidents of this nature were increasing anxiety among families whose relatives travel across the country for employment, education and other national assignments.

“The abduction of approximately 20 prospective NYSC members travelling to their orientation camp is yet another distressing indication of the worsening insecurity in our country,” Obi said.

“These young Nigerians were preparing to serve their nation, but they were unable to travel safely on our roads. Families are increasingly burdened by the fear that their loved ones could fall victim to kidnapping.”

The former Anambra State governor said protecting lives and property remains a fundamental responsibility of government.

He urged security agencies to strengthen preventive measures, improve their response to security threats and ensure that those responsible for such attacks are brought to justice.

“Protecting lives and property is the government’s foremost responsibility. We cannot continue to regard insecurity as an ordinary occurrence or act only after people’s lives have been disrupted,” he said.

Obi also appealed to security agencies to intensify efforts to locate and safely rescue the abducted prospective corps members while ensuring that those behind the incident are arrested.

“I call for the immediate and safe rescue of all the abducted corps members and the arrest of those responsible. Nigeria must become a country where young people can travel, work, and serve their nation without fear,” he added.

The reported abduction has again drawn attention to concerns surrounding the safety of travellers on Nigerian highways, particularly young people travelling to unfamiliar locations for national assignments.

Established in 1973, the NYSC programme was created, among other objectives, to promote national integration by deploying graduates to states outside their states of origin for a period of national service.

However, reported cases of kidnapping and attacks on major highways have continued to raise concerns about the safety of corps members and other travellers moving between different parts of the country.