NYSC Issues Dual Guidelines on Phone Searches, Political Activity

Nigeria's National Youth Service Corps has issued separate directives to corps members undergoing orientation, addressing police conduct and political engagement ahead of the 2027 elections. The Kwara State Commissioner of Police told officers to stop conducting random phone inspections of corps members, citing concerns over indiscriminate searches justified by fraud investigations.

Meanwhile, the NYSC Director-General separately instructed corps members to refrain from political campaigning and partisan activity during their service period. In Kwara State, Commissioner Ojo Adekimi assured corps members of their constitutional rights and pledged police protection throughout their service year.

His intervention came during a visit to orientation trainees in the state, where he specifically prohibited officers from using internet fraud allegations as pretext for searching personal devices. The statement was distributed by the state's Police Public Relations Officer.

At a separate orientation session in Katsina State, NYSC Director-General Brig. Gen.

Olakunle Nafiu instructed corps members not to use their service identity or social media accounts to promote political parties or candidates. He additionally cautioned them against distributing unverified information and artificially generated content, urging members to develop critical thinking before sharing material online.

These warnings reflected broader concerns about the spread of false and manipulated content as Nigeria enters the election cycle. The director-general framed information verification as part of corps members' civic responsibility, noting their potential deployment as ad hoc election staff during the 2027 polls.

Both sets of directives target the 2026 Batch 'B' Stream II cohort, which was undergoing orientation at the time of the announcements.