Titus Maduako Eleweke
An Anambra State-born human rights lawyer and lead counsel to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Sir Ifeanyi Ejiofor, Esq., has demanded the immediate and safe rescue of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members reportedly abducted while travelling to the South-East for their mandatory national service.
Ejiofor warned that Nigeria must urgently move away from reactive security responses and embrace a proactive approach capable of protecting citizens before attacks occur.
Ejiofor, in his Monday Musings titled, “A Nation in Mourning: Innocent NYSC Corps Members Abducted on the Road to Serve Their Fatherland,” described the incident as a deeply distressing tragedy that should compel urgent national introspection and a fundamental reassessment of the country’s security priorities.
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He expressed concern that young Nigerians, fresh graduates with hopes, aspirations and dreams for the future, could be intercepted and kidnapped while travelling to fulfil their statutory obligation to the nation.
According to him, the reported abduction goes beyond the immediate trauma suffered by the victims, as their families are also subjected to unimaginable anguish, uncertainty and helplessness.
“Behind every abducted corps member is a family whose world has suddenly been plunged into unimaginable anguish,” he stated.
Ejiofor stressed that parents who made enormous sacrifices to educate their children should not have to confront the horrifying reality of their children being kidnapped while undertaking national service.
He questioned whether the country must always wait for tragedies to occur before activating the full machinery of the State.
“Must innocent citizens first be abducted before our security institutions mobilise their resources with the urgency such situations demand?” he asked.
He urged security agencies to develop the capacity to anticipate, identify and neutralise emerging threats before they result in loss of lives or abductions.
Ejiofor welcomed reports that senior security personnel had been deployed to Imo State to facilitate rescue operations, but urged the security agencies to sustain and intensify the operation until the abducted corps members are safely recovered.
He called on the relevant agencies to deploy every available lawful, intelligence-driven and operational resource towards securing the immediate and safe release of the victims, describing their rescue as the overriding priority.
However, Ejiofor stressed that rescuing the corps members alone would not address the broader security crisis confronting Nigerians travelling on the nation’s highways.
“Rescue operations, however commendable, cannot permanently substitute for preventive security measures,” he warned.
He said the recurring cases of kidnapping on major highways demanded a fundamental review of Nigeria’s security architecture, particularly in the areas of intelligence gathering, threat detection, highway surveillance and rapid-response mechanisms.
According to him, the NYSC scheme was established to promote national unity, integration and mutual understanding among young Nigerians and should not expose corps members to unacceptable security risks.
“The noble objectives of the NYSC scheme must not become a justification for exposing corps members to unacceptable security risks,” he said.
Ejiofor maintained that no national programme, however laudable, should place the lives of innocent young Nigerians in jeopardy.
He expressed solidarity with the families of the abducted corps members and prayed that the victims would return home safely, unharmed and reunited with their loved ones.
He insisted that the protection of corps members should be regarded as a fundamental national responsibility rather than a discretionary favour.
“A nation that calls upon its children to serve must first demonstrate an unwavering commitment to protecting their lives,” he stated.
Ejiofor consequently called for a proactive, intelligence-driven and citizen-centred security framework capable of preventing attacks rather than merely responding after citizens have been kidnapped or killed.
He urged the government to use the incident as a catalyst for a renewed national commitment to protecting young Nigerians, securing the nation’s highways and restoring public confidence in the capacity of the State to protect lives and property.
“Enough of the avoidable tragedies. Enough of the recurring lamentations. Let security become a proactive national duty rather than a reaction to preventable calamities,” he declared.
Ejiofor said Nigeria must not wait for another grieving parent before recognising that every corps member is somebody’s child, somebody’s hope, somebody’s future and, above all, a precious Nigerian life.
