Bandits Abduct 20 NYSC Members En Route To South-East; Afenifere Demands Immediate Reforms
The pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, has expressed deep dismay over the kidnapping of 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members who were abducted while travelling to their duty posts.
The victims, who had recently graduated and received their official call-up letters, departed from the Samonda area of Ibadan, Oyo State, on Wednesday, September 30, 2026.
They were travelling in buses headed toward Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, and Bende, Abia State, when they were intercepted by gunmen near Umunoha in the Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State.
The Imo State Police Command has officially confirmed the incident.
Following the abduction, the kidnappers initially demanded a staggering ransom of ₦100 million per person, though they have since reduced the demand to ₦5 million per head.
In a press statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Jare Ajayi, Afenifere condemned the attack and extended its deepest sympathies to the families of the victims.
The group strongly advocated for immediate structural changes to the NYSC scheme to protect Nigerian youths from the country’s worsening security challenges.
Afenifere Renews Calls for Regional Deployment
The socio-political body argued that the risk of such tragedies would be significantly minimized if graduates were not forced to travel long distances across the country under the current policy.
“Afenifere, since as far back as 2021, has been calling on the federal government to review the NYSC policy with a view to enabling corpers to serve in their respective states or areas of domicile,” Ajayi stated.
The group urged the NYSC directorate to immediately invoke “security imperatives” to allow graduates to serve within their states of origin, residence, or geopolitical zones while permanent legislative changes are finalized.
Pressure Mounts on Tinubu’s Promised Reforms
The incident has intensified pressure on the federal government to execute promised overhauls of the 53-year-old program. Afenifere reminded the public that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had previously announced directives on July 1, 2026, for the Ministries of Youth Development and Justice to amend the NYSC Act.
The approved Federal Executive Council reforms are designed to introduce risk-based deployment to safeguard corps members in security-challenged regions. Afenifere called on all relevant authorities to expedite these legal amendments without delay.
Security Scaling and Rescue Operations
While demanding an urgent rescue operation utilizing advanced tactical methods, Afenifere praised President Tinubu for his recent approval of new Army formations in Zamfara, Kebbi, Oyo, and Osun states to shorten military response times.
These are in addition to four new divisional headquarters established in July 2026, which expanded Nigeria’s army divisions from eight to 12.
