When General Yakubu Gowon’s military government established the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in 1973, the idea was noble. It was initiated to heal a fractured nation after a 30-month civil war that ravaged Nigeria from 1967 to 1970. The scheme was initiated to encourage young graduates to reside outside their regions, work and understand one another.

Brig. General Nafiu Olakunle, NYSC Director-General

More than five decades later, however, a painful question now hangs over the scheme on whether the national service has become a dangerous gamble for Nigeria’s growing youth population.

Investigation by Saturday Sun revealed that many corps members have been abducted by bandits, crushed in road accidents and caught in violent attacks while on service to the fatherland.

Threat to their lives spreads across highways, rural communities, polling units, and conflict-prone regions, transforming what was once seen as a patriotic rite of passage into a source of fear for many parents.

Available reports indicate that between 15 and 20 corps members were killed within the last five years, while about 80 to 100 others might have been abducted within the same period. Similarly, no fewer than 83 of them were reportedly kidnapped in 2023 alone, including the abduction of eight graduates in Zamfara in 2023, and more recent cases in 2025 and 2026.

Then fatalities on road crashes are said to be high due to night-time travels and poor road conditions. The figure has been put at between 25 and 40.

Afenifere raises the alarm

The latest alarm over the safety of corps members came from the pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, which renewed its call for a radical review of the NYSC posting policy, following repeated attacks on corps members across the country. The group demanded that corps members should henceforth serve in their states of origin, states of residence, or at worst within their geo-political zones. It argued that worsening insecurity has made interstate deployment increasingly unsafe. In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Jare Ajayi, the group warned that the nation was gradually normalising avoidable tragedies involving young graduates.

“No Nigerian deserves to be kidnapped or killed extra-judicially. Youth corps members deserve special consideration due to the peculiar nature of their service.

“If the scheme cannot be suspended, it should be modified to ensure participants serve within their states of origin or residence rather than being posted to unfamiliar and high-risk areas,” the group warned.

Disturbing figures

Media reports revealed that on April 25, 2026, Abdulsamad Jamiu, a corps member serving in Abuja, was killed by a stray bullet in a robbery crossfire. In July 2024, a female corps member was reportedly killed during a bandit attack in Kebbi State. The deadliest confirmed case remains the 2011 post-election violence in northern Nigeria, during which at least eight NYSC members serving as ad-hoc electoral officials were killed in Bauchi State. In subsequent years, other corps members have suffered attacks, injuries and threats during elections, including a corps member shot during the 2021 Ekiti by-election.

Abductions of corps members

In March 2026 on Abuja-Kaduna Road, prospective corps members travelling to orientation camp were abducted by gunmen along the highway. It is a route that has been described repeatedly as being associated with kidnappings and bandit operations.

Also, in August 2025, corps members travelling to camp were kidnapped by suspected bandits along the Zamfara-Kaduna corridor, which is another area said to have been long plagued by armed attacks.

Sodiq Ogunlana, a graduate of Lagos State University, was shot and abducted while travelling to the NYSC orientation camp in Ede, Osun State. A graduate of Kwara State Polytechnic, identified simply as Lateefah, was kidnapped while travelling to Taraba State for national service.

Gift David Samiya was abducted along the Akwanga-Jos Road while heading to orientation camp.

Ransom payments

Investigative reports by Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), which were published in March 2025, stated that kidnappers made over N46million in ransom payments from corps members’ families between 2023 and 2025.

It mentioned the case of Aisha Shittu in Kaduna in 2023, when N30million plus 10 new motorcycles were used to secure her release.

The case of one Omoniyi ’Feranmi in Kogi State in 2023 was also cited. A sum of N10million was paid by the family of the prospective corps member, who was abducted while travelling to the Abuja orientation camp. There was also a group abduction in Zamfara in 2023, when families of four corps members paid ?1million each, alongside food items and supplies demanded by the bandits.

Also, Rofiat Lawal was abducted on her way to Ibadan, Oyo State in 2025, and her family paid N1.1million ransom.

Road accidents

Over the years, corps members travelling in overloaded commercial vehicles or poorly maintained buses have repeatedly been involved in fatal and non-fatal crashes on highways.

Security analysts say the incidents likely represent only a fraction of actual cases, as many attacks involving corps members in rural communities might have gone underreported.

In June 2025, corps members travelling in a commercial bus were involved in a serious road accident along the Oyo-Ogun highway.

Also, one of the confirmed cases occurred in early May 2024 during the mobilisation for the 2024 Batch ‘A’ Stream II orientation exercise.

According to reports, two prospective corps members, identified as Oladele Misturah Abidemi, and Olayiwola Hannah, were involved in a serious road accident, while travelling to their respective orientation camps in Jigawa and Katsina states. The accident happened along the Zaria–Jigawa Road axis.

Parents living in fear

For many Nigerian families, NYSC mobilisation periods now come with anxiety rather than celebration. Parents who once proudly watched their children wear the khaki uniforms now track journeys in fear, praying they arrive safely at orientation camps hundreds of kilometres away.

In many homes, the traditional excitement surrounding posting letters has given way to panic over destinations, especially where attacks frequently occur.

ome parents now openly lobby for redeployment before their children even leave home. Others simply refuse to allow them travel.

A parent in Ibadan, Mrs Olanike Olalere, whose daughter was posted to the North East told this newspaper that the family spent sleepless nights arranging emergency contacts and tracking her movement throughout the journey.

NYSC’s past glory

Defenders of the NYSC scheme insist it still plays a crucial role in national integration. They contend that for decades, the programme has helped many young Nigerians experience cultures outside their ethnic or religious backgrounds.

They cited many marriages, friendships and business partnerships that have emerged from interstate service. But critics say the realities of modern Nigeria differ sharply from the conditions under which the scheme was created in 1973.

MBF, northern group back Afenifere

The Middle Belt Forum (MBF) and the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) have called for the redesigning of the NYSC scheme in order to meet current realities, and achieve true integration and nationality.

The two groups reacted separately to the position of the apex Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Afenifere, which called on the government to allow corps members to serve in their states of origin. President of the Middle Belt Forum, Dr Bitrus Pogu, said if that call is adhered to, it means the whole essence of the youth service programme has been defeated.

According to him, former Military Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (Retd), who initiated the programme, realised after the civil war, the need for national reintegration, and that the youth should be the model for it. This, Pogu said, really served the purpose to the extent that some corps members from deep south went up north, even got the love mate of their lives and eventually got married, which helped in integration; as people from different states came together and at least came to understand each other, and made new friends, among other benefits.

“The unfortunate situation we now find ourselves in, which is the insecurity, might have prompted the Afenifere into taking that kind of decision or to infer in that direction.

“But the youth corps is a good programme, which helps as a buffer between schooling and the real work environment out there.

“When one is sent out to some other parts of the country, they learn new cultures, meet new friends, etc. So, it still serves a purpose.

“What we should do is to improve on the security situation in the country rather than to reverse the process or to undo the whole exercise. The integration process has been slow, and in some cases, it has not achieved anything. But all the same, the intention and the programme itself have a laudable objective, and sustaining it is still good.

“We may, however, redesign it to make it solve contemporary issues in Nigeria, because in spite of that laudable objective, we still remain divided, unfortunately.

“Maybe, the implementation is not good enough, but the objective is good. And to me, it requires sustainability, and to readjust the whole programme to serve current realities for achievement of true integration and nationality,” Pogu emphasised. Conversely, Aliu Jaliu Charanchi, national coordinator of the Coalition of Northern Groups, said the concerns raised by Afenifere were valid and reflect a painful reality Nigerians can no longer ignore.

According to him, the rising cases of insecurity, kidnappings, avoidable road accidents, and election-related violence involving NYSC members have turned what was meant to be a unifying national service into a risky undertaking for many young graduates.

He noted that the original idea behind the NYSC scheme – national integration, unity, and cultural exchange, has been deeply eroded and buried under the weight of systemic corruption, poor policy implementation, and increasingly dangerous religious and ethnic sentiments that now define the national space.

What was designed to build bridges, Charanchi pointed out, is gradually losing its essence in a divided and insecure environment.

“From the CNG standpoint, this call is both timely and necessary. It opens the door for a broader, honest conversation about reforming the scheme to reflect present realities.

“Whether that leads to allowing corps members to serve closer home or restructuring the entire system, the priority must be the safety, dignity, and purpose of Nigerian youths, not just preserving a policy that no longer delivers on its founding ideals,” Charanchi stressed.

Igbo, Tivi groups want NYSC scrapped

It’s a mixed reaction from the Igbo Heroes and Icons Foundation (IHIF) and the Igbo National Council (INC).

Chinedu Nsofor, national coordinator, IHIF, faulted the calls for NYSC members to serve only in their states of origin. He insisted that the solution to Nigeria’s worsening insecurity lies in competent national leadership that is capable of uniting the country and guaranteeing safety for all citizens.

Nsofor noted that while Afenifere’s concerns were understandable, given the current security challenges in the country, he argued that confining Nigerians to their ethnic or regional boundaries would further weaken national unity.

According to him, security in Nigeria has deteriorated far beyond the conditions that existed when the NYSC scheme was established after the civil war to promote national integration.

“Afenifere is not wrong in its thinking because insecurity has escalated beyond what it used to be when the founding fathers of NYSC established the scheme. Today, our roads have become death traps. People cannot travel freely without fear of being kidnapped,” he said.

Nsofor recounted his personal experience with insecurity, revealing that he was once abducted along a highway in Kogi State despite being a prominent senatorial aspirant at the time, although he escaped without paying a ransom, after spending three days in the kidnappers’ den.

“The primary responsibility of any government is the protection of lives and property, and failure to do that amounts to failure of leadership,” he stated.

While acknowledging the fears surrounding interstate postings for corps members, the group maintained that restricting service to home states would not align with the historic and cultural realities of the Igbo people, whom he described as one of the most nationally integrated ethnic groups in Nigeria.

Nsofor noted that Igbo communities have built businesses, homes and investments across virtually every part of the country, stressing that the Igbo identity is rooted in adaptation, enterprise and coexistence.

On the contrary, INC said it was standing with Afenifere on the proposal that corps members should serve in their states of origin or geopolitical zones.

Chilos Godsent, president of INC, said: “The original intention of establishing NYSC has failed. The NYSC programme is not serving the purpose it was created to serve. In other words, the NYSC is now a waste of funds and should be scrapped.”

In line with the demand of Afenifere, the President General of Mdzough U Tiv, Worldwide, Chief Iorbee Ihagh, urged the Federal Government to scrap the scheme, rather than restrict corps members to their home states.

Ihagh, a retired Comptroller of Prison, flayed the call to confine corps members to their states, saying if that is done, it would no longer be a national scheme.

The leader of the Tiv group said: “I was not happy when the Federal Government said that if corps members were kidnapped, it would not pay any ransom, that it should be the parents.

“So in that case, it’s better to cancel the NYSC scheme. The children, as soon as they graduate, start looking for jobs wherever they can get it. Some of them sometimes want to travel overseas, but because of the NYSC scheme, they are made to stay behind for another one year.

“So instead of confining them to their states, they should just scrap it. Since Fulani herdsmen are killing people everywhere, they should just forget about the NYSC.”

The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), however, disagreed with the call by Afenifere for NYSC members to serve in their respective states because of the ravaging banditry and kidnapping across the country.

The National Publicity Secretary of the forum, Tukur Muhammad-Baba told Saturday Sun that instead of restricting the corps members to their respective states, government should intensify efforts to wipe out terrorists completely.

“The call by Afenifere sounds attractive, but to me, but it amounts to capitulation before the terrorists. It’s exactly where they want us to be boxed – so frightened, intimidated and forced to change our ways.

“Are we saying that kidnappings and/or deaths imposed by the terrorists will just stop if bandits forced us to stay home?

“We should rather put as much pressure as we can to get the government to decapitate and annihilate the scourge as opposed to allowing terrorists to compel us to adjust to their terror strategies,” Muhammad-Baba said. (The Sun)