By George Mgbeleke

Prominent pro-democracy and civil rights advocacy group HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has lambasted the management of the National Youths Service Corps scheme(NYSC) for repeatedly exposing to danger of being kidnapped by terrorists of youth corpers by posting them to places within the jurisdiction and theatres of war especially in the North East and North West

HURIWA said were the troops of the Joint Task Force (JTF), North East Operation Hadin Kai, not vigilant enough to have rescued 74 members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) from a possible abduction by Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists along the Buratai–Kamuya road in Borno State, by now the nation would have been confronted by yet another avoidable disaster of deliberately and wickedly posting our youngsters to areas of operations of daredevil terrorists, bandits and satanic kidnappers.

HURIWA blamed the immediate past administration for not sanctioning the then Director General of the NYSC who authorised the posting of corpers to Zamfara and other North West terrorists controlled territories in which case about one dozen corpers travelling from Akwa Ibom state were kidnapped by terrorists and those corpers spent over a year right inside the forests of these terrorists before their individual Parents and relations paid heavy cash ransoms to these terrorists before the last captive was freed after over one year.

“If the then president had dismissed the then DG for dereliction of duty or directed for his immediate demotion from the rank of a Brigadier General, perhaps his Successor now in office would have sit up and be properly guided not to risk the lives of corpers by posting them to the hottest theatres of terror war in Borno state. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu should direct the minister of youth affairs and the DG of the NYSC never to make this sort of deadly blunder and to forthwith, stop sending prospective corpers to all the states in which terrorists have troubling presence such as in the North East states of Yobe and Borno states and almost all of the North West states. “HURIWA is talking with like-minded groups to possibly mobilise support and logistics to sue before the Federal High Court, the legal person of the National Youth Service Corps scheme and the management from sending prospective corpers to theatres of war on terror clearly identified by the military. We may go by way of fundamental rights enforcement procedure. The incessant exposure of Youths by the NYSC to imminent deaths is becoming too frequent and too loud not to be legally confronted. The Right to life is sacrosanct and must be protected by all lawful means.

HURIWA recalled that the security website Zagazola Makama learnt from reliable sources that the corps members 36 males and 38 females, were rescued at about 9:05 p.m. on Tuesday after their vehicles broke down near a known kidnapping hotspot.

According to the sources, a military patrol team was swiftly deployed to the scene after a closed-circuit television (CCTV) system monitored by troops detected suspicious movement involving three buses at the location.

“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 report stated.

The sources further revealed that the corps members were initially escorted from Maiduguri to Damaturu by troops of 7 Division Garrison. However, after arriving in Damaturu, they reportedly failed to inform Sector 2 Headquarters before proceeding on their journey to Hawul Local Government Area without an armed escort.

The rescued NYSC members are currently being accommodated at the Buratai military base pending further arrangements for their safe movement. (Zagazola).

Reacting, the HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) through the National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko condemned what it calls “the recklessness manifested by the management of the NYSC by the continuous deployment of prospective corpers to theatres of war on terror.

“The purpose for which the NYSC was set up is not to be administered like a labour camp whereby youngsters are thrown to all over the places even places and territories that terrorists and bloody mass killers are holding sway.

“May be when Parents of corpers who are kidnapped successfully sue the DG of NYSC in his personal capacity and the court awards heavy penalty including massive payouts, may be only then would the welfare and well-being of our young children be adequately protected and promoted by the NYSC by making it an enforceable policy never to deploy corpers to areas whereby terrorists operate. The security and welfare of the citizens and making sure that these objectives are met, is the most basic, primary and fundamental principles and duty of government in a constitutional democracy.