The abduction of approximately 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members travelling to their orientation camp has drawn concern, as the former governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi warns that insecurity must not be allowed to become a normal feature of life in Nigeria.
The prospective corps members were reportedly abducted while travelling to their orientation camp, raising fresh concerns over the safety of young Nigerians travelling on the nation’s roads.
Reacting to the incident, Obi described the development as another distressing indication of the worsening insecurity in the country, noting that the victims were young Nigerians preparing to serve their nation.
The former governor expressed concern over the growing burden on families, who increasingly live with the fear that their loved ones could become victims of kidnapping while travelling.
“Protecting lives and property is the government’s foremost responsibility,” he said.
He stressed the need for authorities to move beyond reactive measures and take decisive steps to prevent attacks and kidnappings.
“We cannot continue to regard insecurity as an ordinary occurrence or act only after people’s lives have been disrupted,” said Peter Obi.
He called for the immediate and safe rescue of all the abducted prospective corps members and urged security agencies to identify, arrest and prosecute those responsible for the abduction.
Emphasising on the need for stronger security measures on the nation’s roads and other vulnerable routes to prevent similar incidents, Peter Obi said Nigeria must become a country where young people can travel, work and serve their nation without fear of abduction or other threats to their safety.
