IBADAN, Nigeria – The pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation Afenifere called on the Federal Government to allow National Youth Service Corps members to serve in their respective states of residence due to rising kidnappings and terror attacks across the country on Tuesday, May 5, 2026.
Okay News reports that Afenifere National Publicity Secretary Jare Ajayi released a statement in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, expressing concern over daily terror incidents occurring in Yorubaland and other regions.
“Before now, reports of incidents of this nature used to be from other climes. But these days, the horrendous incidents are also occurring in Yorubaland of Oyo, Ogun, Ekiti, Ondo, Kwara, and parts of Kogi,” Ajayi said.
“We are deeply concerned about this, just as we are uncomfortable with the sacking of communities, kidnapping, killing, livestock rustling, arson, and maiming of people in some other parts of the country, particularly in Plateau, Benue, Niger, Nassarawa, Katsina, Borno, Bauchi, Kaduna, and the Federal Capital Territory; to mention a few,” he said.
“Youth corpers deserve special treatment because of their peculiar nature. For this reason, if the scheme could not be suspended, a modification should be made so that participants are mobilized to serve in their respective states or states of residence rather than being posted to states far from the areas they are familiar with,” Ajayi said.
“Among the victims cited were Sodiq Ogunlana, a LASU graduate who was shot and abducted on his way to Orientation Camp in Ede, Osun State; Lateefah, a graduate of Kwara Polytechnic who was abducted on her way to the NYSC camp in Taraba State; and Gift David Samiya, who was abducted on the Akwanga-Jos road while going to the camp,” he said.
The organisation alleged that illegal miners frequently occupy communities after residents face attacks or abductions.
