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Author: Gist Correspondent

A 55-year-old mother, Janet Oladosu, has appealed to the Federal Government and security agencies to intensify efforts to rescue her son, Greatness, and 19 other prospective National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, members abducted while travelling to their orientation camps.

Oladosu urged the Federal Government, as well as the Oyo and Imo State governments, to make the safe rescue of the victims a priority.

“All I want is for my son to come back alive. These are young Nigerians who were simply travelling to serve their country,” she said.

The 20 prospective corps members reportedly left Samonda, Ibadan, on September 30, 2026, after collecting their NYSC call-up letters, heading to orientation camps in the South-East and South-South.

They were reportedly abducted near Umunoha in Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State while travelling towards Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, and Bende, Abia State.

Oladosu said her son had kept her updated throughout the journey until he suddenly sent a distress message informing her that the travellers had been kidnapped.

According to her, Greatness had earlier explained that prolonged traffic congestion in Edo State forced the group to stop in Anambra because it was too late to continue the journey.

She said her son later informed her that they had resumed their journey towards Imo State, but about 45 minutes later, she received a message from another phone stating: “Mummy, we have been kidnapped.”

Oladosu said another message from her son revealed that he had secretly hidden a phone in his trousers to contact her, adding that the communication heightened her fears over the safety of the abducted youths.

The incident has renewed calls for reforms to the NYSC deployment system, with the pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, urging the Federal Government to reduce the security risks faced by prospective corps members.

Afenifere’s National Publicity Secretary, Jare Ajayi, called for amendment of the NYSC Act to allow graduates to serve in their states of origin, states of residence or within their geopolitical zones.

The group said it had advocated the review of the deployment policy since 2021 following several incidents involving the kidnapping and attacks on corps members.

Afenifere also urged the Federal Government and security agencies to intensify efforts to rescue the 20 abducted graduates.

The organisation recalled President Bola Tinubu’s July directive to the Ministries of Youth Development and Justice to begin the process of amending the NYSC Act and subsidiary regulations to support reforms approved by the Federal Executive Council.

It said the proposed reforms, including risk-based deployment to reduce exposure in security-challenged areas, should be urgently implemented.

Afenifere further commended the approval of additional Army formations in Zamfara, Kebbi, Oyo and Osun states, but stressed that military expansion alone would not end kidnapping and banditry.

The group called for stronger enforcement of the 2022 Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, alongside other measures to improve the safety of corps members and communities.