20 Kidnapped Prospective Corpers Regain Freedom in Imo

20 prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members who were abducted on their way to orientation camp were rescued yesterday, October 7, after being kidnapped by gunmen in Imo state on October 1.

Police spokesperson Ani Iniedu said the victims were found at Amakohia Ubi Village after sustained search-and-rescue operations involving the police, the military and the State Security Service (SSS). They were taken to the SSS hospital in Owerri for medical assessment and care. Police said efforts to arrest the abductors are ongoing, and that security agencies have sustained coordinated operations to track down the perpetrators.

The group was travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom States when gunmen struck at about 6:30 a.m. along the Owerri-Onitsha Road near Umunoha. Police later said 10 other victims were rescued at the scene following the intervention of security agencies, but the remaining 20 were taken into the bush.

Days into the ordeal, Imo State Police Commissioner Audu Bosso said security forces had identified the location where the captives were held. He explained, however, that operatives were holding back because intelligence indicated the camp had been mined with improvised explosive devices. Reports also suggested that the abductors initially demanded 1 billion Naira for the 20 victims before reducing the figure to 5 million per head, bringing the total to 100 million Naira. The police have not said how the rescue was finally carried out, but families of the victims have claimed that they negotiated and paid ransoms to the kidnappers. 

Alirat Wahab, the mother of one of the victims, said the kidnappers initially demanded 50 million Naira but later came down to 6 million Naira. She also said that the families of the victims all met in Ibadan, deposited their shares of the ransom into a single account, and then changed the sum to dollars in Imo before paying off the ransom.

As insecurity has increased all over the country over the years, the debate over whether NYSC should continue has been raised countless times. Many people suggest that prospective corpers should only be sent to relatively secure states or states near them to avoid incidents like kidnapping while travelling, however the government refuses to adjust the system or even reason with the complaints and concerns of Nigerians.

Calls to boycott NYSC altogether have been unsuccessful as well. The scheme is compulsory in practice, even if not always in law. Without the NYSC certificate, doors close in public-sector hiring and in many private firms. A young graduate cannot realistically skip service while hoping to get a job in the country.

When the National Youth Service Corps was created by decree in 1973, its purpose was to reconstruct, reconcile and rebuild the country post-civil war by sending young graduates to live and work among people of other ethnic groups. People who served the country during that time may have fond memories of the time, however they also had something that is missing today — the assurance of safety.

When the state makes participation a practical requirement, it takes on a duty of care. It cannot demand that people travel on government-mandated journeys and then shrug when those journeys end in captivity.

This recent kidnapping is not an isolated event. In 2021, a bill to abolish the scheme was sponsored in the National Assembly by Hon. Awaji-Inombek Abiante, who cited insecurity, the killing of corps members and the inability of firms to retain them after service. Those concerns have not gone away. Corps members have been killed on the road, attacked during election duty, and posted to areas where even residents do not feel safe. Each time, the response is condolences, a promise to review deployment, and a return to business as usual.

The government’s answer to criticism of the scheme has been to expand it rather than fix it. The Federal Executive Council recently approved what it calls the most sweeping reform since 1973. It introduced 11 specialised career streams, doubled orientation camp from three weeks to six, replaced the passing-out parade with a graduation ceremony and moved the scheme from military to civilian leadership. It is tied to the president’s goal of building a one-trillion-dollar economy. This is in line with the government’s streak of misplaced priorities.

The scheme’s original purpose, national integration after the civil war, has been overtaken by a different reality. Today’s graduates face postings that rarely match their qualifications, allowances that barely cover living costs, and a job market that offers little at the end of service. Meanwhile, the education system that produces them is underfunded.

So what should be done?

Interstate travel must be better secured, and corps members should have the right to decline postings to high-risk areas. Longer term, lawmakers should seriously consider making the scheme voluntary. The 20 young Nigerians freed this week were only fortunate, and Nigeria cannot rely on luck every time prospective corpers make their journeys to camp. If the NYSC cannot guarantee the safety of those it compels to serve, it cannot expect them to carry the risk.

Meanwhile, the 44 children who were kidnapped in Askira Uba local government of Borno state have remained  in captivity for over 140 days. Their kidnapping happened on May 15, 2026 — the same day as the Oriire school  kidnapping in Oyo state. It has been months since the rescue of the Oriire pupils and teachers, and yet, no major progress by the government or security agencies has been reported.