By Chioma Obinna

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, HURIWA, has condemned the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) for what it described as “reckless endangerment” of corps members’ lives through continuous deployment to volatile and terrorism-plagued regions of the country.

The pro-democracy and civil rights advocacy group warned that the lives of young Nigerians were being “deliberately placed in harm’s way” by sending them to serve in areas under the control of terrorists and bandits, particularly in the North-East and North-West.

In a press statement issued in Abuja, the National Coordinator of HURIWA, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, expressed outrage over the recent near-abduction of 74 corps members rescued by troops along the Buratai–Kamuya Road in Borno State.

According to him, “Were it not for the vigilance of the Joint Task Force (JTF) North-East Operation Hadin Kai, who rescued the 74 NYSC members from possible abduction by Boko Haram or ISWAP terrorists, the nation would have been mourning another avoidable tragedy.”

He said the incident exposed the NYSC’s “gross irresponsibility and insensitivity,” accusing the management of failing to prioritise the safety of corps members.

“The NYSC leadership continues to send young Nigerians into known theatres of war where even military personnel operate with extreme caution,” Onwubiko said.

“This is wicked, deliberate, and avoidable. The scheme was never designed to send our youths to their deaths.”

HURIWA recalled that during the previous administration, a group of corps members posted to Zamfara State were kidnapped by bandits and held in captivity for over a year before their parents and families reportedly paid huge ransoms to secure their release.

“If the then president had dismissed the Director-General of the NYSC for such dereliction of duty, perhaps his successor would have been more cautious,” Onwubiko stated. “President Bola Tinubu should immediately order the Minister of Youths and the NYSC DG to stop deploying corps members to states under terrorist occupation — including Borno, Yobe, Zamfara, Katsina, Kebbi, and parts of Kaduna.”

He disclosed that HURIWA was in talks with other civil society groups to initiate legal action against the NYSC to prevent future deployments to conflict zones.

“We are consulting with like-minded groups to approach the Federal High Court through a fundamental rights enforcement procedure. The incessant exposure of corps members to imminent death cannot continue unchecked,” he warned. “The right to life is sacrosanct and must be defended by all lawful means.”

Citing reports by security analyst Zagazola Makama, HURIWA said the 74 corps members 36 males and 38 females were rescued around 9:05 p.m. on Tuesday after their vehicles broke down in a known kidnapping hotspot.

According to the report, a military patrol team was dispatched after a CCTV system detected suspicious movement involving three buses. “On arrival, troops discovered 74 NYSC members stranded after their vehicles developed mechanical faults. The troops immediately rescued them to prevent a likely abduction attempt by Boko Haram or ISWAP elements operating in the area,” the source stated.

It was further gathered that the corps members had earlier been escorted from Maiduguri to Damaturu by troops of the 7 Division Garrison but proceeded to Hawul Local Government Area without notifying Sector 2 Headquarters for a fresh escort. They are currently being accommodated at the Buratai military base pending safe relocation.

Condemning the recurring pattern, HURIWA said the NYSC had “lost focus on its founding purpose,” stressing that the programme was designed to promote unity, not to function as a “suicidal labour camp.”

“The NYSC was not established to send our children into war zones,” Onwubiko said. “Perhaps when the parents of kidnapped corps members begin to sue the DG of the NYSC personally and the courts impose heavy damages, only then will this negligence stop.”

He added: “The security and welfare of citizens remain the most basic and primary duty of government in any constitutional democracy. The lives of our young graduates must never be gambled with under the guise of national service.”