By Ishaya Ibrahim, News Editor
The National Youths Service Corps (NYSC) has told prospective corps members to make provision for ransom payment to kidnappers anytime they are travelling on Nigerian roads.
The NYSC, in it’s security advisory handbook introduced in March 2021 to Corps members, explicitly said that corps members should have a family member on standby with money to pay off kidnappers whenever they are travelling on Nigerian roads.
“When travelling on high risk roads such as Abuja-Kaduna, Abuja-Lokoja-Okene or Aba-Port-Harcourt road, alert your family members, friends and colleagues in order to have someone on hand to pay off the ransom that could be demanded,” part of the warning read in page 58 and 59 of the handbookk which TheNiche saw.
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The handbook also states: “Do not antagonise your captors, be polite and operate with reasonable regards to the resealable Cooperation to your abductors. Establish personal relationships with your captors as early as possible. The kidnappers may ask for a contact person, do not mention your place of work, but your close friends and parents. They will reach them to negotiate for your release.
“Advise your friends involved in the negotiation they should be friendly and be prepared for the natural reaction of the shock. Take no rule by attempting to escape. DO NOT BE A HERO.”
The NYSC, has by it’s security advisory, warn prospective Corps members that it will not be responsible for payment of ransom should they be kidnapped.
The NYSC has also become the first agency of government to acknowledge that Nigeria’s security architecture has collapsed.
With the security advisory, Nigerians have started protesting the continuation of the mandatory NYSC programme in the country.
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