SDP Presidential Candidate, Adewole Adebayo Demands Immediate Rescue of Abducted NYSC Members in Imo

SDP Presidential Candidate, Adewole Adebayo Demands Immediate Rescue of Abducted NYSC Members in Imo

.urges comprehensive policy reforms to ensure youth corpers' safety

By Our Reporter

Presidential Candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Prince Adewole Adebayo, has called for the immediate and unconditional rescue of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members abducted along the Owerri-Onitsha Expressway in Imo State.

Adebayo, in a statement issued on Friday by the Head of Media and Communications Directorate of his campaign, Comrade Mark Adebayo, while expressing its deep outrage, unreserved condemnation, and grave concern over the harrowing abduction, also demanded comprehensive policy reforms to improve the safety of young Nigerians undertaking the national service scheme.

The prospective corps members, who were travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to NYSC orientation camps in the South-East and South-South, were attacked by suspected gunmen at about 6:30 a.m. on Thursday near Umunoha in Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State.

The Imo State Police Command confirmed that two buses conveying NYSC members and other passengers to Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, and Bende, Abia State, respectively, came under attack.

The police said 10 victims were rescued following a swift response by security agencies, while the exact number of people still in captivity was being verified. Tactical teams and other operational assets have been deployed for a coordinated search-and-rescue operation. 

Reacting to the incident, Adebayo described the attack as an “unacceptable assault on the nation’s future,” urging the security agencies to deploy every available resource to secure the safe return of those still being held.

“We cannot fold our arms while the youth of this nation, who have committed themselves to national integration and service, are hunted down like game on public highways,” he said.

“Our security agencies must act with absolute urgency. This is a race against time, and no stone must be left unturned until every single corps member is brought back alive,” he said.

Adebayo specifically called on the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Tunji Disu; the military high command and the Imo State Commissioner of Police, Audu Garba Bosso to intensify rescue operations and ensure that the abducted corps members were released safely.

The SDP Presidential Candidate also urged the governors of Imo, Abia and Anambra states to suspend other engagements and devote their security resources to supporting the rescue operation.

“I am calling on the Governors of Anambra, Abia, and Imo states to drop everything they are doing right now. Shut down governance if you must, suspend political bickerings, and concentrate 100% of your state security resources on rescuing these young Nigerians,” he said.

“The primary purpose of government is the security and welfare of the people. Right now, your children are in the den of kidnappers; nothing else should matter until they are safely recovered,” he added.

The incident has heightened concerns over the safety of prospective corps members travelling long distances to orientation camps. It also comes weeks after several NYSC members were abducted along a highway in Kogi State, with security agencies subsequently rescuing the victims. 

Adebayo's campaign organisation said the latest incident underscored the need for broader security and policy measures to protect young Nigerians participating in the NYSC scheme.