By Ola Kay
Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has expressed relief over the release of the 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps members who were kidnapped in Imo State last Thursday.
The corps members who received their Call Up letter to serve in Imo are indigene of Oyo State.
In a statement by the state Commissioner for Information, Prince Dotun Oyelade, made available to journalists in Ibadan, the state capital on Wednesday, Oyelade stated: “The Oyo State Government is relieved at the release of our children from the bondage of abduction once again. We congratulate the Imo and Oyo State Governments and the Federal Government, too.”
While expressing deep concern, the statement challenged the federal government to act more decisively in combating insecurity in the country.
“The Federal Government, which has the preponderance of power and capacity to effectively nip this embarrassing development in the bud, must be more proactive and live up to its promise to keep citizens safer across the land.
“It is worrisome that large pockets of kidnapping and banditry still dominate the Nigerian landscape, the constant robust assurances from the Presidency notwithstanding.”
It added that currently, about 200 Nigerians are still in captivity of their abductors in different parts of the country.
The state Commissioner of Information, in an updated report confirmed that all the 20 corps members abducted were released,
Recall that 20 graduates of the state origin were travelling from Ibadan to their NYSC orientation camps last Thursday when kinappers attacked the two buses conveying them along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in Umunoha, Imo State.
Reports say that the Imo and Oyo state governments, in collaboration with security agencies made concerted efforts to secure the release of the abducted corps members.
This is not the first time corps members had been kidnapped in their zest to serve the nation. The development has continued to generate opinion that corps members should be allowed to either serve in their state of origins or neighbouring state close to them, to ensure their safety and security.
Meanwhile, parents of the 20 prospective members have expressed relief and joy following confirmation of their release.
As of the time of filing this report, parents of the kidnapped ‘corpers’ were yet to establish physical contact with their children as the concerned corps members were said to with the Department of State Services, DSS.
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