Sowore Calls for NYSC Scrapping After Corps Members' Abduction

Omoyele Sowore, the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), has urged the Nigerian federal government to immediately suspend and ultimately scrap the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme. This call follows the abduction of prospective corps members in Imo State, who were kidnapped while traveling to their orientation camps.

The incident occurred on Thursday when gunmen attacked two buses along the Owerri-Onitsha Road. Sowore stated that the abduction underscores the dangers of requiring graduates to travel across the country for national service, emphasizing that the NYSC has "outlived its usefulness." He proposed that graduates should serve within their states of origin instead of being compelled to travel long distances.

Additionally, Sowore suggested replacing the NYSC with a two-year voluntary National Job Corps to provide employment and skills development opportunities. In response to the abduction, the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, has dispatched Deputy Inspector-General of Police Shehu Nadada to coordinate rescue efforts in Imo State.