NYSC Silent On Fate Of 20 Abducted Corps Members Who Missed Orientation Camp

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has not disclosed whether the 20 prospective corps members abducted in Imo State and later released will receive compensation or be automatically enrolled in the next orientation exercise.

The affected individuals missed their orientation camp after gunmen abducted them while they were travelling from Oyo State to camps in the South-East.

LEADERSHIP Weekend contacted the NYSC Director of Information and Public Relations, Caroline Embu, to ascertain what arrangements, if any, had been made for the victims following their release.

The newspaper specifically sought to know whether the scheme would compensate them for missing the exercise or guarantee their participation in the next batch.

However, Embu had not responded to the enquiry as of the time of filing this report. She also did not answer a telephone call placed to her, nor return the call.

The 20 prospective corps members were abducted on October 1, 2026, after gunmen attacked two buses conveying them along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in Umunoha, Imo State.

They reportedly remained in captivity for seven days before regaining their freedom around October 7 and 8.

After their release, they were handed over to their families at the Department of State Services (DSS) headquarters in Ibadan, Oyo State. They subsequently underwent medical evaluations and debriefing.

There have been conflicting accounts of the circumstances surrounding their release.

While security agencies and state authorities said a joint operation involving the police, DSS and military led to their freedom, the victims’ families reportedly alleged that they paid between N3 million and N6 million in ransom to secure their release.