The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Southwest Zone D, has called on the Federal Government and security agencies to intensify efforts to rescue prospective National Youth Service Corps members and other passengers reportedly abducted while travelling from Ibadan to orientation camps in the South-East and South-South.

In a statement dated October 2, 2026, the association said the incident occurred on October 1 along the Owerri-Onitsha Road near Umunoha in Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State.

According to the NANS statement, the Imo State Police Command confirmed that two buses conveying prospective corps members and other passengers towards Uyo in Akwa Ibom State and Bende in Abia State were attacked.

NANS said 10 victims had reportedly been rescued while security agencies continued search-and-rescue operations, with the exact number of abducted persons still being established.

The association added that information reaching its leadership indicated that graduates linked to institutions in the Southwest, including Federal Polytechnic, Ede, and Osun State Polytechnic, Iree, were among those affected.

For NANS Southwest, the incident raises questions that extend beyond highway insecurity.

The association argued that prospective corps members were travelling because they had been mobilised for a compulsory federal programme and therefore deserved stronger protection during the journey to their places of deployment.

NANS said young Nigerians already face considerable financial and social pressures before graduation, including tuition expenses and, for some students, dependence on government-supported education financing.

It consequently questioned a system in which graduates could successfully complete tertiary education only to face serious security risks while travelling for compulsory national service.

The association said the Federal Government should review the extent to which transportation and security during mobilisation remain almost entirely the responsibility of prospective corps members.

NANS Southwest also expressed concern over reports and fundraising appeals alleging that the abductors had demanded as much as N50 million for individual victims.

The association stressed that it had not independently established those demands and called on security agencies and NYSC authorities to verify the claims.

It also urged government institutions to establish direct communication with the affected families.

According to NANS, families of graduates travelling to fulfil a compulsory national assignment should not be left to manage kidnapping emergencies and possible ransom demands alone.

The association linked the incident to its ongoing review of complaints concerning the NYSC process.

NANS Southwest said it had received more than 500 complaints and reports from students and graduates covering delayed mobilisation, omission from institutional lists, JAMB record complications, accreditation challenges, registration problems, relocation difficulties and deployment to remote communities.

Other complaints reportedly involve transportation, accommodation, administrative delays and the treatment of corps members in some orientation camps.

According to the association, the October 1 abduction has now added an urgent security dimension to the wider concerns surrounding the scheme.

NANS also referred to what it described as Federal Executive Council approval for broader NYSC reforms in June 2026, including a risk-sensitive approach to deployment.

The student body called for the implementation of such measures to be accelerated.

NANS Southwest asked the Federal Government to reconsider compulsory long-distance deployment in areas where security conditions create significant risks.

It proposed consideration of state-based and zonal service options, while allowing long-distance interstate service to become more flexible where security circumstances demand it.

The association maintained that national integration remains important but should not require graduates to undertake avoidable risks.

It also proposed organised transportation arrangements during mobilisation periods, including accredited operators, designated routes, journey tracking and stronger coordination with security agencies.

NANS further called for reviews of deployments to remote or high-risk locations and the creation of effective emergency-response mechanisms for corps members.

The association appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Federal Ministry of Youth Development, NYSC management and security agencies to treat the incident as an urgent national concern.

Its immediate demands include the rescue of all remaining victims, verification of reported ransom demands, direct engagement with affected families, implementation of risk-sensitive deployment and improvements to mobilisation and welfare.

NANS Southwest also proposed an engagement involving the Ministry of Youth Development, NYSC and organised student leadership to examine the security and welfare of prospective and serving corps members.

The statement was jointly signed by the Zone’s Public Relations Officer, Comrade Olugbemi T. Timothy; General Secretary, Comrade Ojetola Babatunde Y.; and Coordinator, Comrade Adeyemo Josiah.