By Julius Nsikak
The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), once celebrated as Nigeria’s most enduring symbol of post-war unity, is increasingly becoming a theatre of fear, trauma and avoidable death for young graduates, despite unprecedented government funding.
For Umoh Boniface, a serving corps member posted to Osun State, national service nearly ended in a shallow grave. On the night of December 13, 2024, while travelling from Port Harcourt to Akwa Ibom for the Christmas holidays, Boniface was abducted along the Rumuji Expressway in Rivers State by armed men posing as security operatives.
Dragged into a forest with four other passengers, Boniface endured days of torture, starvation and psychological torment. Two women among the captives were raped, one in the presence of her husband. Ransom demands followed. Unable to raise the money, Boniface was bound, hooded and dragged towards a river, convinced his life was over.
He survived only because a church congregation intervened, raising part of the ransom on humanitarian grounds. Months later, he is still repaying the debt, undergoing treatment for spinal injuries and battling trauma that has stripped the khaki uniform of its former pride.
His experience is not an isolated incident. It is emblematic of a systemic failure that has turned Nigeria’s compulsory service year into a high-risk ordeal for young citizens.
Established in 1973 after the civil war to foster national integration, the NYSC once thrived on goodwill, mobility and communal support. Corps members travelled freely, found shelter easily and were embraced by host communities. That social contract has collapsed under the weight of insecurity, economic strain and institutional stagnation.
Today, families approach deployment with dread. Parents openly fear losing their children during service. Public affairs analyst Mrs. Emem Nkereuwem argues that insecurity is only part of the problem. According to her, the scheme has failed to adapt to Nigeria’s realities, deploying graduates to placements with little impact, no skills transfer and no employment pathway.
“National service has become an expensive waiting room for unemployment,” she says, calling for a complete redesign of the scheme around structured skill development and productive sectors.
The dangers facing corps members are well documented. In March 2025, Rofiat Lawal was kidnapped along the Benin–Ore Expressway while travelling to her place of primary assignment. In August 2023, eight corps members were abducted in Zamfara State, some spending nearly a year in captivity. In January 2025, Miss Abasifreke Joseph was kidnapped along the Enugu, Kogi highway.
Data from the Foundation for Investigative Journalism shows that at least 83 corps members were kidnapped between 2013 and 2023, with most cases occurring in recent years. More than ₦80 million has reportedly been paid in ransoms between 2023 and 2025 alone. In nearly all cases, survivors confirm that freedom came through payment, not state intervention.
Beyond kidnapping, corps members face neglect. Many receive no accommodation, fund their own transportation and pay for healthcare out of pocket. Mental health support is virtually nonexistent. During elections, corps members serving as INEC ad hoc staff have repeatedly been attacked, with the 2011 post-election violence leaving a particularly grim legacy.
These realities stand in stark contrast to the Federal Government’s financial commitment. For the 2025 fiscal year, ₦430.7 billion was proposed for the NYSC, including ₦307.6 billion for the new ₦77,000 monthly allowance. Additional funds were allocated for welfare, insurance, transport and skill acquisition.
Yet, according to ASUP official Comrade Utitofonidara John, there is little evidence of corresponding investment in security infrastructure or emergency response systems. He describes the scheme as trapped in nostalgia, with blurred accountability allowing authorities to deflect responsibility when tragedy strikes.
“The system protects itself,” he says. “Administrators benefit, while corps members carry the risk.”
Recent withdrawals of corps members from volatile communities, such as Mbaa in Benue State, have only reinforced public fears that the NYSC can no longer guarantee safety.
For Boniface, the verdict is painfully simple. “I served Nigeria,” he says. “But Nigeria almost did not protect me.”
That statement captures the crisis confronting the NYSC. The debate is no longer about its historical relevance, but about its moral and practical justification in its current form. Until safety, accountability and purpose are restored, the khaki uniform will remain less a badge of unity and more a gamble with young lives. (Source: The Mail).
