1st October, 2026 | News

19 Prospective NYSC Members Reportedly Abducted While Travelling to Abia Orientation Camp

Families have been thrown into panic following the reported abduction of prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to an orientation camp in Abia State.

The prospective corps members, mostly graduates of the University of Ibadan (UI) and Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, were reportedly travelling in buses operated by Udua King Transport Services when suspected gunmen attacked their convoy in Ihiala, Anambra State.

Parents Besiege Transport Company

Worried parents gathered at the transport company’s office in Samonda, Ibadan, demanding information about efforts to rescue their children and wards.

Four passenger buses had reportedly been commissioned to convey the prospective corps members to the NYSC permanent orientation camp in Abia State.

According to the report, two buses escaped the suspected kidnappers’ ambush, while two others were forced to stop.

It was gathered that 11 passengers and the drivers of the two affected buses managed to escape, while 15 passengers were reportedly abducted.

The report’s opening summary, however, refers to 19 NYSC members as having been abducted, while the subsequent account states that 15 passengers were reportedly taken. The figures therefore remain inconsistent in the supplied report.

Parents Receive Distressing Message

One of the affected parents, Mrs Alimot Akande, said her daughter, Kehinde Akande, a LAUTECH graduate, was among those reportedly abducted.

She said the prospective corps members boarded a Udua King Transport Services bus at Samonda in Ibadan for the journey to Abia State.

According to Akande, her monitoring showed that the bus stopped in Onitsha at about 10pm on Wednesday before continuing the journey the following morning.

She said her daughter later sent her a brief message that read, “kidnappers!”, indicating that the bus had come under attack.

Akande said that was the last contact she had with her daughter.

Names of Reported Kidnap Victims Released

According to the transport company’s manifest, those reportedly abducted include Akande Kehinde, Olaleye Mary, Oladosu Greatness, Obafunsho Rhoda, Abdulrof Anifat, Esther Oyede, Hassan Usman, Ayomide Isa, Mary Makinde and Azeez Adejoke.

Others listed are Abdulrazaq Anifat, Sarah Temilolu, Adeoye Elizabeth, Eniola Samuel and Usman Temi.

A representative of Udua King Transport Services, who declined to give his name, told journalists that the prospective corps members were reportedly abducted at Ihiala in the early hours of Thursday.

Fresh Concerns Over NYSC Travel Safety

The reported incident has renewed concerns about the safety of young Nigerians travelling across the country to participate in the NYSC programme.

The NYSC scheme was established to promote national unity by deploying graduates to different parts of Nigeria.

At the time of the report provided, anxious families were seeking information about efforts to secure the release of the affected prospective corps members.