The National Association of Seadogs (Pyrates Confraternity) has called for an urgent and comprehensive review of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) safety framework, including a policy that should stop the deployment of corps members to states severely affected by kidnapping and banditry.
In a statement issued by NAS Cap’n, Dr. Joseph Oteri, the association said the deteriorating security situation in several parts of the country has increasingly placed young Nigerian graduates participating in the national service programme in danger.
“The NYSC programme has served Nigeria as a major instrument of national unity and integration for more than five decades,” Oteri stated.
“However, the present security realities across the country demand an urgent reassessment of how the scheme operates, particularly with regard to the safety of corps members.”
The NYSC scheme was established in 1973 by the military government of Gen. Yakubu Gowon following the Nigerian Civil War to foster national integration by deploying graduates to states outside their regions of origin.
According to NAS, millions of young Nigerians have since participated in the programme, contributing to national development through services in education, healthcare, public administration and community development initiatives.
Despite these contributions, the association warned that Nigeria’s evolving security environment has significantly increased the risks faced by corps members.
“Kidnapping for ransom, banditry and violent attacks on highways have spread across several parts of the country,” Oteri said. “Young graduates travelling long distances to orientation camps and places of primary assignment are increasingly exposed to these threats.”
He referenced recent reports of the abduction of Musa Usman Abba, a graduate of the Federal University Gusau, who was reportedly kidnapped while travelling to resume NYSC service in Sokoto State.
The association also cited earlier incidents involving prospective corps members travelling to orientation camp in Sokoto who were abducted along a highway in Zamfara State in August 2023.
“In June 2023, another corps member, Gideon Bitrus Gijuwa, serving in the Federal Capital Territory, was reportedly killed during an attack in Mararaba,” Oteri added.
NAS noted that documented incidents over the past decade show that corps members have faced threats ranging from kidnappings and violent attacks to fatal road accidents during long-distance travel associated with national service deployment.
The association further addressed claims circulating on social media suggesting that families of kidnapped corps members may be responsible for paying ransom.
“No verified official policy or document from the NYSC confirming such a provision has been produced,” Oteri said. “The NYSC itself has clarified that the viral document suggesting such guidance was not an official publication of the scheme.”
He stressed that the NYSC, originally conceived as a unifying national institution, must not be allowed to expose young Nigerians to avoidable danger.
“The NYSC was never designed to become a suicide mission for the children of ordinary Nigerians,” Oteri stated. “The safety of corps members must be treated as a national priority.”
NAS argued that protecting corps members aligns with the constitutional responsibility of government under Section 14(2)(b) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which states that the security and welfare of citizens shall be the primary purpose of government.
Against this backdrop, the association called for a comprehensive review of the NYSC operational framework to reflect prevailing security realities across the country.
“Corps members should no longer be posted to states classified as high-risk due to persistent banditry, kidnapping and violent attacks on highways frequently used by prospective corps members travelling for national service,” Oteri said.
He identified several states where recurring banditry and highway kidnappings have made travel particularly dangerous, including Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna and Sokoto, as well as Niger State, which has recorded frequent abductions along major routes linking the Federal Capital Territory with northern parts of the country.
“These locations have repeatedly featured in reports of abductions involving travellers and, in some cases, prospective corps members moving to or from orientation camps,” he stated.
According to NAS, reform of the NYSC scheme should include incorporating security risk assessments into deployment decisions, allowing corps members to serve closer to their regions where security conditions demand, strengthening organised travel arrangements to orientation camps and places of assignment, expanding insurance and compensation coverage for corps members, and establishing dedicated emergency response mechanisms for participants in distress.
Despite its concerns, the association reaffirmed that the NYSC remains one of Nigeria’s most visible and impactful nation-building institutions.
“Corps members continue to provide critical services in schools, hospitals, courts and community development projects across the country,” Oteri said.
He added that meaningful reforms would ensure that the goals of national integration are pursued alongside adequate protection for young Nigerians participating in the programme.
“National unity should never come at the cost of the lives and safety of Nigeria’s young graduates,” he said.
