The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has condemned the reported abduction of 15 National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members in Kogi State, describing the incident as a failure by the Federal Government to protect young Nigerians serving the country.
The group called for the immediate and unconditional rescue of the corps members, urging security agencies to deploy all available resources to bring them home alive.
The corps members were reportedly abducted on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, while travelling from the NYSC orientation camp in Bayelsa State to Abuja.
They were reportedly intercepted by armed men along the Ofu/Itobe–Onicha-Igo road in Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State.
HURIWA said the incident was more than an isolated kidnapping case, describing it as an indictment of the security arrangements surrounding a national programme that requires young Nigerians to travel across the country.
The group questioned how many more corps members must be kidnapped, injured or killed before the government acknowledges that existing security measures are inadequate.
According to HURIWA, corps members have faced security threats for years while travelling to orientation camps, places of primary assignment and other destinations. It said successive governments had failed to establish a reliable transportation and security system to protect them.
“A government that calls on youths to serve Nigeria has a corresponding responsibility to protect them,” HURIWA said.
The organisation urged the Federal Government to conduct an immediate security audit of major routes used by corps members nationwide.
It called for secure transportation, adequate security escorts and, where necessary, air transportation from high-risk areas to safer destinations.
HURIWA also urged the Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Army, Department of State Services and other security agencies to intensify efforts to locate and rescue the abducted corps members.
The group said the priority must be their safe recovery and warned against allowing the incident to become a prolonged kidnapping case in which families are left to negotiate with criminals while government agencies issue assurances.
It further demanded an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the abduction, including how the attackers accessed the route, whether security agencies had prior intelligence and whether negligence or other security lapses contributed to the incident.
HURIWA said anyone found responsible for negligence, dereliction of duty or criminal collaboration should face prosecution.
The group also called for a review of the NYSC’s security architecture, particularly the deployment and transportation of corps members to high-risk areas.
It urged the government to centrally coordinate the movement of corps members through known danger zones and provide enhanced security arrangements for those posted to volatile areas.
HURIWA said the reported abduction was a national security concern and urged the authorities to provide timely and credible information to the affected families and the public.
“Rescue the 15 corps members. Secure the highways. Fix the NYSC transportation system. Prosecute the perpetrators,” the group said.
