Kwara Corps Members Allege Monthly N2,500 ‘Newspaper Fee’ Extortion By Ilorin West Council Officials
Kwara Corps Members Allege Monthly N2,500 ‘Newspaper Fee’ Extortion By Ilorin West Council Officials
According to several corps members who spoke to SaharaReporters, the LGI insisted on collecting ₦2,500 in cash from each corps member before signing their clearance papers.
Several members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) serving in Ilorin West Local Government Area of Kwara State have accused officials in the council of extorting them, alleging that they are forced to pay ₦2,500 each before being granted their mandatory monthly clearance.
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The corps members told SaharaReporters that the alleged extortion occurred repeatedly between Monday and Wednesday last week during the routine clearance exercise, describing the practice as a “habitual” demand imposed by the Local Government Inspector (LGI).
Monthly clearance is a compulsory process that corps members must complete to remain eligible for their federal allowance.
According to several corps members who spoke to SaharaReporters, the LGI insisted on collecting ₦2,500 in cash from each corps member before signing their clearance papers.
One corps member said the demand has become institutionalised within the local government secretariat.
“This thing has become a routine. Every month when we come for clearance, we are told to bring ₦2,500 before our clearance will be signed,” the corps member told SaharaReporters.
Another corps member revealed that the payment is demanded from close to 1,000 corps members serving in the local government area, raising concerns about the scale of the alleged extortion.
“There are about a thousand of us posted to Ilorin West. Imagine collecting ₦2,500 from each corps member every month. That is a huge amount of money and nobody is explaining what the money is used for,” the corps member said.
The corps members further alleged that when they questioned the reason for the payment, the LGI reportedly claimed the money was meant for the purchase of newspapers.
However, they said the explanation lacks transparency and accountability.
“Whenever anyone asks why we have to pay the money, he tells us it is for newspapers. But when we request for an account number or any official payment channel, he refuses and insists that the money must be paid in cash,” another corps member said.
The corps members lamented that the demand significantly affects their already limited monthly allowance.
In 2024, the Nigerian government increased the monthly allowance paid to corps members to ₦77,000.
Despite the increment, the corps members said losing ₦2,500 monthly to unofficial payments remains a burden.
“Our allowance is ₦77,000 and it is already not enough considering transportation, feeding and accommodation. Removing ₦2,500 every month without any accountability is corruption and it is unfair to corps members,” one of them said.
They also expressed fears of victimisation, noting that refusal to pay could result in denial of clearance, which may affect their allowance and service records.
“If you refuse to pay, your clearance may not be signed. Nobody wants to risk their allowance or their service year, so many people just pay quietly,” another corps member told SaharaReporters.
The corps members are now calling on the NYSC leadership to investigate the allegations and stop what they described as systematic exploitation of young graduates serving the country.
Efforts to obtain comments from NYSC authorities were unsuccessful at the time of filing this report. The Director of Press and Public Relations, Caroline Embu, has yet to respond to messages sent to her and did not answer repeated calls seeking her reaction.
