The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has faced criticism for its inability to ensure the safety of its members, with over 70 corps members abducted nationwide in the past five years. An analysis of media reports between 2024 and October 2026 revealed that the abductions occurred across Nigeria's six geo-political zones. This has raised concerns among parents, security experts, and stakeholders about the safety of the mandatory one-year service.
A timeline of kidnappings across regions shows that there have been 13 cases of kidnapping involving NYSC corps members in the past five years. In 2022, Faith Onoriode and Omoboade Adesina, an NYSC staff member, were kidnapped in Ekiti State. In 2023, 15 corps members were intercepted in Anambra State, and eight Akwa Ibom State Corps members were ambushed in Zamfara State. These cases demonstrate the persistent vulnerabilities in the NYSC scheme.
In response to the growing wave of corps members' kidnappings, the NYSC introduced a travel advisory, known as 'Essential NYSC Travel Safety Tips'. However, this advisory has been deemed ineffective, as corps members continue to be kidnapped in broad daylight and registered transit companies are being attacked by kidnappers. The NYSC's safety tips, which include avoiding night travels and unfamiliar routes, have not been enough to prevent the abductions.
The recent abduction of 20 prospective NYSC members in Imo State is a stark illustration of the ongoing problem. SBM Intelligence recorded 7,825 kidnapping victims and at least N7.78 billion in ransom payments in one year, highlighting the financial incentives sustaining the crime. The NYSC scheme's safety concerns have led to calls for its suspension or scrapping.
Omoyele Sowore, African Action Congress presidential candidate, has demanded the immediate suspension and eventual scrapping of the NYSC scheme, citing the state's inability to guarantee the basic survival of the youth it mandates into service. He proposed replacing the NYSC with a two-year voluntary National Job Corps, focusing on providing jobs, opportunities, skills, and security for young Nigerians.
Other stakeholders, including Bolaji Abdullahi, former youth minister, and Haruna Danjuma, National President of the Parents-Teacher Association of Nigeria, have also called for the NYSC to be temporarily suspended or overhauled. They emphasize the need for stronger protection measures to be put in place for young Nigerians participating in the scheme. The safety concerns have sparked a national debate about the future of the NYSC.
Experts, including Nubi Achebo, director of academic planning at Nigerian University of Technology and Management, have expressed concerns over the rising number of NYSC members abducted. They stress that if parents perceive deployment to certain states as a death sentence or ransom trap, the moral legitimacy of the scheme collapses. The NYSC's inability to ensure the safety of its members has significant implications for the scheme's future.
Key points
- Over 70 NYSC members have been abducted in Nigeria in the past five years.
- The NYSC's safety advisories have been deemed ineffective in preventing abductions.
- Stakeholders are calling for the NYSC to be suspended, scrapped, or overhauled due to safety concerns.
