The pan-Yoruba socio-political organization, Afenifere, has expressed dismay over the kidnap of graduates who were going for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme last week Thursday, October 1, just as it sympathised with the families of the victims and proffered ideas on how to put a stop to such incidents.
The organisation’s feelings were contained in a press statement issued by its national publicity secretary, Comrade Jare Ajayi.
It would be recalled that 20 graduates who, armed with their call-up letters, took off from Samonda area of Ibadan, Oyo State, on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, were among those kidnapped at a spot near Umunoha in Mbaitoli Local Government Area as confirmed by the Imo State Police Command spokesman. The buses were travelling from Ibadan towards Uyo, Akwa Ibom State and Bende, Abia State. Abductors of the prospective corpers initially demanded for N100 million per head but by Sunday, reduced the ransom fee to N5 million per person.
While condemning the incident in its entirety, Afenifere observed that the risk of being kidnapped would greatly reduce if one does not have to travel such a long distance for the purpose of youth service “given the prevailing situation in the country”.
According to Ajayi, 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.
“The idea here is to reduce the tendency by a prospective corper to travel from one part of the country to another for the purpose of having to serve the country under the NYSC policy. We have repeated this call several times especially whenever there are incidents of corpers being kidnapped or attacked in one way or the other. Some national newspapers have even written editorials endorsing our position.”
Afenifere spokesman added that “thankfully, President Ahmed Bola Tinubu, in a statement on his X handle of Wednesday, July 1, 2026, announced that he has directed the Federal Ministries of Youth Development and Justice to begin the process of amending the NYSC Act and its subsidiary regulations to give legal backing to the reforms that were approved by the Federal Executive Council at its meeting of Monday, June 29, 2026”.
The President who described the expected reforms as the most consequential since the establishment of the NYSC scheme in 1973 which will enable every corps member to graduate from the Service “better prepared for work, enterprise and national service” added that the reforms would made the scheme safer by introducing risk-based deployment, particularly for security-challenged states.
Afenifere then urged those concerned to expedite actions on effecting necessary amendments to the NYSC Act so that corpers would be able to serve in their respective states or at least in neighbouring states within the same geopolitical zone as stated in President Tinubu’s statement quoted above.
The Yoruba apex organization called on the National Youths Service Corps (NYSC) to, “pending the necessary amendment of the corps’ Act, allow graduates to serve within their states of origin, states of residence or states within their geopolitical zones. Exigency or security imperative can be cited as the reason for this if anyone challenges the organization for taken such a step”.
The body urged federal, security agencies, Oyo and Imo States governments to quicken actions on rescuing the victims within the shortest possible time. “The method used to rescue victims of Oriire abduction can be employed in a modified form in line with the peculiar situation”.
In a similar vein, Afenifere commended President Bola Tinubu for approving the creation of new Army formations in Zamfara, Kebbi, Oyo, and Osun states with a view to shortening response period and bringing troops closer to vulnerable communities. These new formations are in addition to the four new army divisional headquarters announced in July by the Presidency. The four new divisional army headquarters raised such divisions in the country from eight to 12. The new headquarters and their locations as announced then were:
5 Division Headquarters: Located in Makurdi, Benue State
9 Division Headquarters: Located in Ilorin, Kwara State
10 Division Headquarters: Located in Jalingo, Taraba State, and
83 Division Headquarters: Located in Benin City, Edo State
Afenifere was of the opinion that this increase in military bases would strengthen security surveillance and quicken responses to security emergencies.
As for a lasting solution to kidnapping and banditry, Afenifere again advocated for the enforcement of 2022 Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act. The Act provides appropriate legal framework for detecting, preventing, prohibiting, punishing acts of terrorism, terrorist financing, and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. “Strict enforcement of the Act will reduce the menace of terrorism to the barest minimum” Afenifere spokesman emphasised.
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