The Human Rights and Justice Group International has urged the Nigerian Government to suspend the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme over the spate of killings and kidnapping in the country.
Executive Director, Prince Nze said Nigeria was no longer safe, hence why the continued deployment of youths to different regions was putting their lives in danger.
Recall that in February last year, it was reported that gunmen kidnapped 15 NYSC members at a motor park in Anambra State when they were travelling to Lagos.
Also in August 2023, kidnappers abducted eight Akwa Ibom State university graduates who were on their way to Sokoto State to commence their mandatory national service.
Prince Nze who spoke to the Punch, said; “For now, due to insecurity, the NYSC should be put on hold. The essence of NYSC is to integrate the youths.
“Today, some youths who went to the North from Akwa Ibom State have not been accounted for over eight months. Their parents are worried and nobody could account for them.
“For you to ask me to send my children to the NYSC for a nation that has values for cows than human beings, I cannot subject my children to such situation because if anything happens to them, the country does not care.
“The level of insecurity is worsened even before Tinubu came on board. We have spent billions of dollars acquiring military equipment and weapons, yet we live in a country were terrorists determine things.
“As I speak today, there are parts of the country where Boko Haram collect taxes from the people. Farmers cannot go to farms until they pay taxes to Boko Haram in some parts of the North.
“All we are saying is that the current President should be decisive about terrorism and the military and the apparatus of state securities should justify the budgetary allocation on security given to them. We cannot be living in a nation where terrorists determine what we do or how we live our lives.”
