Omoyele Sowore has demanded the immediate suspension and eventual scrapping of the National Youth Service Corps following the abduction of prospective corps members travelling to their orientation camps in Imo State.
The African Action Congress presidential candidate made the call after gunmen attacked two buses along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in the Umunoha area of Mbaitoli Local Government Area on Thursday, October 1, 2026. The buses were carrying graduates travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states.
In a post on X on Saturday, Sowore said the incident highlighted the risks of compelling young Nigerians to travel long distances in a country still grappling with insecurity. He argued that the NYSC had “outlived its usefulness in its present form,” a position he said he had held since his first presidential bid in 2019.
“You cannot force young Nigerians to ‘serve their fatherland’ when the same country cannot guarantee their safety while they travel to their places of service,” he stated. “The NYSC should be suspended immediately and ultimately scrapped. In the meantime, all corps members should be given the option to serve within their states of origin.”
Sowore proposed replacing the scheme with a two-year voluntary National Job Corps under what he described as a “Sowore 2027 presidency.” The programme would focus on employment, skills development, public works, technology, agriculture, healthcare and education. “Young Nigerians need jobs, opportunities, skills and security, not compulsory deployment into danger,” he said.
The Imo State Police Command confirmed that the attack occurred at about 6:30am. Some victims were rescued after security agencies intervened, while efforts continued to determine the exact number still held. Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Disu deployed the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Operations, Shehu Nadada, to the state. Nadada arrived with two Commissioners of Police to assess the search-and-rescue operation and issue further directives.
Troops of the 34 Artillery Brigade, working with personnel from the Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Air Force, Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Services, rescued 10 prospective corps members. The victims were handed over to the DSS for debriefing.
A report on Saturday indicated that the abductors had demanded N50 million for each of 19 prospective corps members, amounting to N950 million if applied to all.
The affected graduates were travelling in two buses operated by Uko Akwa Ibom Motors Nigeria Limited. The buses left the Bodija/Samonda area of Ibadan on Wednesday, were delayed by traffic around Benin in Edo State, reached Onitsha in Anambra State, and spent the night in Oba before continuing early on Thursday.
Similar concerns about the safety of corps members were raised in March after reports of kidnappings and attacks in different parts of the country.
The latest incident comes as the Federal Government pursues reforms to the NYSC scheme. In July, President Bola Tinubu approved an overhaul following recommendations to the Federal Executive Council.
The Attorney-General of the Federation and the Ministry of Youth Development were directed to begin work on amendments to the NYSC Act and related regulations.
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