The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has expressed disappointment over why the acting Inspector-General of Police IGP Kayode Egbetokun, has been unable to rescue eight members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) who were kidnapped along a highway in Zamfara State.
The prospective Corps Members were kidnapped 10 days ago by terrorists along a highway in the State while reporting to the NYSC Orientation Camp and whisked away to the bush.
For being unable to rescue them since then, HIRIWA asked the police boss to either get the corpers freed within 24 hours or resign forthwith.
The kidnapped were to take part in the mandatory national service when the bandits intercepted their vehicle and kidnapped them.
HURIEA stated that “the family of one of the victims Betty Udofia was reached and that the kidnappers are demanding N4 million ransom”.
In a statement by Emmanuel Onwubiko, the National Coordinator of HURIWA, inthe rights group expressed strong opposition to what it described as “the not so well thought out position of the veteran Nollywood actress, Kate Henshaw for the the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme to be abolished in the light of the safety of corps members, stressing that the actress may have been misinformed about the enormity of noble roles the NYSC is playing.
“HURIWA endorses the continuous existence and indeed strengthening of the NYSC scheme. The current management of the NYSC should be commended for relocating the management office of the institution from Abuja temporarily to Zamfara state since the last 10 days that the prospective corpers were kidnapped by terrorists just so they personally coordinate the efforts of all stakeholders including the Army, the police and other security agencies to free the hostages.
“HURIWA however thinks the acting IGP has not prioritise the rescue of these corpers for no justifiable reasons”.
The rights group equally condemned the lack of administrative sanctions on heads of security agencies by the President for the widespread insecurity all around the Country.
“If the heads of security forces are punished administratively for dereliction of duty following security breaches in Nigeria, the acting IGP would’ve sit up to send troops to rescue the kidnapped corpers,” the statement stated.
“HURIWA is therefore demanding that the acting IGP Kayode Egbetokun takes concrete steps to ensure that the corpers still being held in captivity by terrorists are freed within 24 hours or he quits or be dismissed for failing in his task of securing the nation.
“It is indeed disappointing that the IGP, the Zamfara state governor abandoned these corpers with terrorists and went to Rwanda to attend the so-called leadership programme just as Akwa Ibom State Governor, who is the governor of the state of origin of most of these kidnapped corpers, allegedly travelled too to Rwanda on political jamboree,” it stated.
