Nigeria NYSC members targeted in series of highway kidnappings

A series of kidnappings targeting prospective members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has highlighted severe security vulnerabilities on Nigerian highways. In a recent incident, 20 graduates traveling from Ibadan were abducted on October 1 along the Owerri-Onitsha road in Imo State. After seven days in captivity, they were rescued in a joint operation involving the police, military, and the Department of State Services (DSS).

Survivors reported being beaten and forced to survive on minimal food and dirty water. While security agencies claim the rescue was a result of coordinated operations, families have reported paying significant ransoms, with some claims citing amounts between ₦3 million and ₦6 million.

This incident follows a pattern of similar attacks, including a mass abduction of 16 corps members in Kogi State in August. Another recent case involved 12 travelers abducted in Edo State and held in a Kogi forest, where ransom demands fluctuated from ₦50 million down to ₦10 million. The increasing frequency of these attacks has raised urgent calls for improved highway patrols and intelligence gathering to protect young Nigerians undertaking national service.