Uproar as NYSC denies asking corpers to prepare for ransom payment

The National Youth Service Corps is currently facing an uphill task trying to clear a controversy generated by its reported advice asking corps members to alert their loved ones to prepare ransom when plying high-risk roads in case they are kidnapped.

The advice to the corps members is contained in a section of the NYSC’s handbook, which has gone viral.

Many people, mostly parents, recently spoke against the continuation of the NYSC scheme as they argued that it no longer served its original intention of forging national cohesion and unity among young graduates from different ethnic nationalities. They cited the unwarranted killing, kidnapping and attacks of innocent corpers serving in places far away from their states of origin.

The offensive section in the NYSC handbook is titled ‘Security Awareness and Education Handbook for Corps Members and Staff.’

In the book, the scheme gave several safety tips to the corps members amid the rising insecurity in the country.

The NYSC mentioned some of the high-risk regions to include Abuja to Kaduna and Aba to Port Harcourt roads.

“When travelling in high risk roads such as Abuja-Kaduna, Abuja-Lokoja-Okene or Aba-Port Harcourt roads, then alert your family members, friends and colleagues in order to have someone on hand to pay off the ransom that could be demanded,” it read.

But it was learnt that not all the corps members got the version of the handbook containing the directive.

Some 2021 batch B stream I and II corps members in Oyo and Ogun states respectively claimed that they had a copy of the handbook.

But the NYSC in a statement by its spokesperson, Adenike Adeyemi, denied giving such advice as contained in the handbook.

It also described the claim as “antics of mischief makers out to ridicule the scheme.”

It stated, “The attention of the management of the National Youth Sevice Corps has been drawn to a fake release making the rounds on the social media to the effect that corps members travelling on ‘high risk roads’ should alert their families, friends and colleagues in order to have somebody to pay off the ransom that could be demanded in the event of being kidnapped.

“Management wishes to emphatically state that the clause quoted is not embedded in NYSC security tips pamphlet which was put together by a highly respected retired security expert.

“Management wishes to appeal to the general public to always clarify issues with the scheme. Please, be wary of falling prey to the antics of mischief makers out to ridicule the scheme.

“Management shall continue to prioritise the security and welfare of corps members and staff at all times.”