NYSC Set To Face Court Action Over Posting Of Corps Members To Insecure States Amid Rising K!dnapping
NYSC Set To Face Court Action Over Posting Of Corps Members To Insecure States Amid Rising Kidnapping
According to Ogun, several corps members and prospective corps members have fallen victim to abductions while travelling to or serving in states far from their homes.
Human rights lawyer, Festus Ogun, has threatened legal action against the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), accusing the agency of endangering the lives of corps members by posting them to states outside their places of residence amid Nigeria’s worsening insecurity.
Ogun, Senior Partner at FO Legal, said the continued deployment of corps members to unfamiliar states, often requiring travel through dangerous routes plagued by kidnappers and bandits, amounts to a violation of their constitutional right to life.
In a post on his Facebook page, the lawyer argued that the policy had become untenable given the country’s security challenges.
“It is unconstitutional for NYSC to continue dispatching young people on a journey of no return. It potentially violates the right to life guaranteed under Section 33 of the 1999 Constitution,” he said.
According to Ogun, several corps members and prospective corps members have fallen victim to abductions while travelling to or serving in states far from their homes.
He cited the cases of Eunice Ameh in Abuja, Abba Musa Usman in Zamfara State, and Lateefah Binuyo, a Lagos resident who was reportedly kidnapped along the Kogi axis while travelling to her orientation camp in Taraba State.
Binuyo reportedly spent 10 days in captivity before regaining her freedom.
Usman was abducted by suspected bandits on January 9 while travelling from Gusau in Zamfara State to Sokoto State.
He was reportedly intercepted at Gidan Kano village in Talata Mafara Local Government Area and regained his freedom in April after spending about three months in captivity.
Ogun said the recurring incidents underscore the dangers associated with the current operation of the NYSC scheme.
“With the spate of insecurity in every corner of Nigeria, posting corpers to states, other than their states of residence, is tantamount to signing their death warrants while still alive,” he said.
The lawyer disclosed that he was considering approaching a court in the coming weeks to challenge what he described as a continuous violation of the rights of corps members.
“In the coming weeks, I may be compelled to approach a court of competent jurisdiction to challenge this continuous violation of human rights.
“I will chronicle the number of corpers’ deaths and abductions experienced owing to insecurity in this country,” he stated.
Ogun further called for the suspension of the NYSC scheme until security improves across the country, insisting that many of the deaths and abductions involving corps members could have been prevented.
“The killings are avoidable and the NYSC programme must stop altogether till the country is safe,” he said.
He added that his planned lawsuit was motivated by concern for the safety and future of young Nigerians rather than personal interests.
“Now, the suit is not just about me. I have served this country in khaki some years ago. My fight for corpers is more about the future of this country and the sanctity of human life,” Ogun said.
