Corps Members’ Abduction: NANS Calls For Probe Of Transport Firm

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has called for a transparent investigation into the continuous abduction of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members.

The students body expressed concerns over the circumstances surrounding the incident and the alleged roles of the drivers conveying the victims.

The association also urged security agencies and government authorities to investigate the operations of UDUA KING Transport Service, reportedly involved in the incident, and consider suspending its operations pending the outcome of the investigation.

The national president of NANS, Comrade Akinteye Babatunde Afeez, said it had received disturbing information about the kidnapping, which reportedly occurred while two buses conveying corps members were travelling in convoy.

According to the association, one of the drivers allegedly stopped the bus, claiming he wanted to give money to someone on the other side of the road, prompting the second bus to stop alongside it.

NANS alleged that armed men subsequently emerged from the bush and abducted the corps members.
The association expressed particular concern that neither of the two drivers was reportedly abducted, while the kidnappers were allegedly already positioned around the location where the buses stopped.

“These circumstances raise serious questions that require urgent and transparent investigation,” the statement said.

While cautioning against premature conclusions, NANS said it was not in a position to establish the exact circumstances surrounding the incident or attribute responsibility to any individual or transport company.

“At this point, we are not in a position to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident or attribute responsibility to any individual or transport company. However, the questions arising from the incident cannot be ignored,” it stated.

The students’ body said the incident had heightened concerns about the safety of students and young Nigerians who travel across the country daily, insisting that anyone found to have compromised the safety of the victims must be held accountable.

“There are many questions requiring answers, and we believe the families of the victims, the NYSC community and Nigerians deserve nothing less than a transparent investigation,” the association said.