Abducted NYSC Members: Tinubu’s Alleged Laxity Emboldening Terrorists

The Makinde/Daura Presidential Campaign Organisation has criticised the Federal Government over the abduction of 19 prospective National Youth Service Corps members travelling from Oyo State to their orientation camps.

The campaign organisation alleged that what it described as laxity in the President Bola Tinubu administration’s approach to security had emboldened terrorists, bandits and kidnappers to attack and abduct Nigerians.

The organisation made the allegation in a statement issued on Saturday by its Director of Strategic Communications, Richard Ihediwa, following the October 1 abduction in Imo State.

The prospective corps members were travelling from Ibadan to orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states when gunmen reportedly attacked two buses along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in the Umunoha area of Mbaitoli Local Government Area.

The Imo State Police Command said security agencies had launched a coordinated operation to rescue the victims. Police also reported that 10 people had been rescued, although it remained unclear whether those rescued were among the prospective corps members abducted from the buses.

The campaign organisation described the incident as another indication of the security challenges facing Nigerians, particularly young people travelling for national service.

It said parents make significant sacrifices to educate their children, only for some of them to face danger while carrying out a mandatory national assignment.

The group further alleged that insecurity had spread beyond isolated locations to highways, communities, schools, markets and places of worship.

It also claimed that hundreds of thousands of Nigerians had been killed by terrorists, bandits and other criminal groups during the current administration. The figure was presented by the campaign organisation as part of its criticism of the Federal Government.

The organisation acknowledged the sacrifices of security personnel but argued that stronger political leadership and coordination were required to establish what it described as an effective, intelligence-driven security system.

It called on the President to adopt security measures it attributed to Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, including intelligence gathering, inter-agency cooperation, coordinated operations, preventive measures and rapid response.

The campaign organisation also used the incident to promote the Makinde/Daura political platform ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

Meanwhile, the abduction has continued to generate concern among families and student groups, with calls for intensified efforts to rescue the affected prospective corps members.

Families of some victims have also reportedly appealed to the Federal Government and the Oyo State Government for urgent intervention.

The incident has renewed debate over the safety of long-distance travel by prospective corps members, particularly during mobilisation periods.

Student groups have separately called for safer transportation arrangements and implementation of risk-sensitive deployment measures for corps members.

Security agencies have continued search-and-rescue operations as efforts intensify to locate and safely recover those still missing.