The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Joint Campus Council, Oyo State Axis, and the National Association of University Students (NAUS), Oyo State Chapter, have demanded the immediate rescue of prospective corps members abducted while travelling from Ibadan to their National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) orientation camps.
The student bodies, in separate statements issued on October 2 and 3, called on the NYSC and other relevant authorities to provide clear information on the incident, establish the identities and number of affected prospective corps members, and intensify efforts to secure their safe release.
The prospective corps members were travelling from Ibadan to orientation camps in the South-East and South-South when gunmen attacked two buses along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in the Umunoha area of Imo State on October 1. The Imo State Police Command confirmed the attack and said 10 victims had been rescued, while efforts continued to determine the number of people still in captivity.
NANS JCC Oyo called for an official briefing from the NYSC on the number of Oyo State prospective corps members affected and urged the agency to communicate the measures being taken to secure their release and prevent further incidents.
NAUS Oyo, meanwhile, demanded the release of the verified passenger manifest and the identities of the affected prospective corps members to their families and the public. The association also called for immediate engagement with the families and an investigation into the transportation arrangements that left the graduates vulnerable to the attack.
The unions further urged authorities to conduct a security review of the transportation of prospective corps members from Oyo State, particularly given that the affected graduates were travelling to fulfil their compulsory national service.
The demands came amid growing anxiety among families of the abducted graduates. Reports on Saturday indicated that families had received ransom demands for the release of some of the victims, although figures reported by different media outlets have varied.
The Imo State Police Command has said security agencies are conducting search-and-rescue operations, while the Inspector-General of Police has deployed the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Operations to coordinate efforts in the state.
NANS JCC Oyo warned that failure by the relevant authorities to provide meaningful communication and concrete action could prompt peaceful mobilisation by students and affected stakeholders.
The student body said such mobilisation could include peaceful picketing of the NYSC Oyo State Secretariat and relevant transport outlets if its demands are not addressed.
As families await the safe return of their loved ones, the unions have called for greater transparency from the authorities and urgent action to secure the remaining prospective corps members.
Source: IndyPress
