•Police declare manhunt for killer

By Luminous Jannamike & Ibrahim Hassan

Kaduna—A member of the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, Chalya Silas, doing her national service in Kaduna State, has been killed by suspected hoodlums.

She was killed at the Barnawa area, where she was doing her early morning physical exercise.
Her friends, who were thrown into deep mourning and confusion, said Chalya was stabbed to death when she was jogging on Wednesday morning, at Barnawa, a community in Kaduna South Local Government Area of the state.

Reacting to her death, the NYSC said the sudden demise of the young service member has left the management and her colleagues in a state of deep sorrow and agony.

“Chalya, after participating in morning devotion with fellow Corps Members at Barnawa GRA in Kaduna, where she resided, went out for a jog when she was attacked and fatally stabbed by unidentified hoodlums. The attackers also made off with her phone.

NYSC’s Director of Press and Public Relations, Eddy Megwa, in a statement, said: “A good Samaritan alerted her colleagues about the tragic incident. The NYSC Management immediately rushed the injured corps member to Harmony Hospital Limited in Barnawa, Kaduna for urgent medical attention.

Unfortunately, despite the medical team’s best efforts, she passed on
“Our hearts are heavy with the loss of one of our own. This is a painful reminder that our corps members, who are our children, our sisters and brothers, must be protected by all Nigerians In the wake of the heartbreaking incident; the NYSC is intensifying efforts to bring the culprits to justice.

“We are in strong collaboration with security agencies to ensure that justice is served. We call on members of the public to cooperate with the security agencies in ensuring that all Corps Members, who are deployed to contribute their quota to national development by serving in their communities, are adequately protected. As the investigation continues, the NYSC and the entire nation mourn the untimely loss of a promising young woman dedicated to service and national development.”

Also, reacting, the Kaduna State Police Command while confirming the killing, said a manhunt for the killers had begun

According to the Command’s Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) Mansir Hassan, “the Commissioner of Police, CP Musa Yusuf Garba, has directed a manhunt for the killers of Chalya Silas.

“The Commissioner of Police after an emergency meeting of the top hierarchy of the command has ordered the Barnawa Divisional Police Officer and operatives to hunt for the killers of the Corps member.

“It’s a very tragic incident. She was performing her early morning jogging when some miscreants on motorcycles pounced on her.”