Human rights lawyer Inibehe Effiong has vowed to take legal action against the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) over what he described as the “persecution” of Lagos-based corps member, Ushie Uguamaye, popularly known as Raye.
Raye came into the public spotlight in March after she criticised the current administration, accusing it of worsening Nigeria’s economic difficulties. However, her situation escalated last week when she claimed in a viral video that the NYSC withheld her Discharge Certificate in retaliation for her comments about the economic policies of President Bola Tinubu’s government.
In response, the NYSC issued a statement on Sunday via its official X handle, stating that Raye’s service year was extended by two months because she failed to attend the April 2025 biometric clearance, as mandated in the NYSC bye-laws. The corps insisted the sanction was not politically motivated.
Speaking during Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Monday, Effiong rejected the NYSC’s explanation, alleging that officials in Eti-Osa Local Government Area had deliberately refused to clear Raye despite her presence during the April exercise.
“I am going to write to the Director-General of the NYSC in the coming hours to put these facts officially before them,” Effiong declared. “If they don’t give us a favourable answer, by virtue of Section 20 of the NYSC Act, I’ll write to the President and Commander-in-Chief. The law says if we are not satisfied, we should write to the President before legal action.”
okay.ng reports that Effiong also criticised the scheme for failing to communicate the reason for the extension directly to Raye, describing the decision as “an embarrassment and an aberration.”
“We want to give them an opportunity to redeem themselves, and the DG has an obligation to ensure that the image of the scheme is not tarnished,” he said. “Why should they have waited until she was about to pass out before giving her this reason?”
The lawyer argued that the case was not about clearance procedures but about silencing dissent in Nigeria. “What they are trying to achieve through Raye is to quell the voice of dissent in our country. Let Nigeria not be deceived; this has nothing to do with monthly clearance,” Effiong said.
He noted that the ordeal followed Raye’s public lament about the soaring cost of goods and her inability to afford basic necessities.
