Sowore calls for immediate suspension, scrapping of NYSC after corps members’ abduction

Abdullateef Fowewe

Omoyele Sowore, the 2027 presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), has demanded the immediate suspension and eventual scrapping of Nigeria’s National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme following the abduction of about 19–20 prospective corps members in Imo State.

Dailyeconomy gathered that gunmen attacked two buses carrying prospective corps members traveling from Ibadan to NYSC orientation camps along the Owerri–Onitsha road on October 1, 2026, in what security sources described as a coordinated ambush.

The attackers reportedly demanded ransoms of about ₦50 million per victim, totaling roughly ₦950 million, while police said they located the kidnappers’ camp but delayed a rescue operation over fears of improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

Some of the abducted youths have since been rescued, but searches for others are still ongoing, according to security updates.

“You Cannot Force Young Nigerians to Serve. When the Country Cannot Guarantee Their Safety,” Sowore said.

In a statement on Saturday, Sowore tied the attack directly to the compulsory nature of the NYSC scheme, arguing that it now exposes young Nigerians to unnecessary risk in an increasingly insecure environment.

“It has been my consistent position since 2019, during my first run for the presidency, that the National Youth Service Corps has outlived its usefulness in its present form,” Sowore wrote.

He added, “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.”

Sowore called for an immediate policy shift, insisting that corps members should at least be allowed to serve within their states of origin while the broader scheme is reviewed.

“No young Nigerian should be forced to travel hundreds of kilometres into unfamiliar and insecure territory simply to fulfil a compulsory national service requirement,” he said.

Beyond suspension and scrapping, Sowore outlined a replacement framework under what he termed a “#Sowore2027 presidency.”

He proposed a two-year voluntary National Job Corps focused on:Real employment creation, skills development and vocational training, public works and infrastructure projects, agriculture, technology, healthcare, and education.

“Young Nigerians need jobs, opportunities, skills and security, not compulsory deployment into danger,” Sowore stated.

He concluded with a direct appeal to authorities, “The time to suspend the NYSC is NOW. The time to scrap this outdated scheme has come.”

The abduction has reignited national debate over the relevance and safety of the NYSC scheme, with security experts and civil society groups expected to weigh in as rescue operations continue.