A human rights lawyer, Festus Ogun, has threatened to institute legal proceedings against the National Youth Service Corps over its continued practice of deploying corps members to states outside their places of residence despite rising insecurity across the country.
Ogun, who is the Senior Partner at FO Legal, argued that sending young graduates across the country in the current security climate exposes them to grave danger and could amount to a violation of their constitutional right to life.
In a statement shared on his social media page, the lawyer said the deployment policy had become increasingly risky as corps members remain vulnerable to kidnappings and attacks, particularly while travelling to orientation camps and places of primary assignment.
He cited several recent cases involving serving and prospective corps members who were abducted while travelling, including Eunice Ameh, Abba Musa Usman and Lateefah Binuyo.
Recalled that Binuyo, a Lagos-based prospective corps member, was reportedly kidnapped along the Kogi route while travelling to an orientation camp in Taraba State.
She regained her freedom after spending 10 days in captivity.
Similarly, Usman was abducted by suspected bandits in January while travelling from Gusau in Zamfara State to Sokoto. He was released in April after spending about three months in captivity.
Ogun maintained that the prevailing security challenges across the country make the interstate deployment of corps members increasingly difficult to justify.
“It is unconstitutional for NYSC to continue dispatching young Nigerians on journeys that expose them to avoidable dangers.
The policy potentially infringes on the right to life guaranteed under Section 33 of the 1999 Constitution,” he said.
The lawyer disclosed that he was considering approaching the court in the coming weeks to challenge the policy, adding that he would present records of corps members who had lost their lives or suffered abductions due to insecurity.
According to him, many of the incidents could have been prevented, stressing that the NYSC scheme should be suspended until adequate security is restored nationwide.
Ogun noted that his planned legal action was motivated by concern for the safety of future corps members rather than personal interest, recalling that he had also participated in the national service programme in the past.
He said the protection of young Nigerians and the preservation of human life must take precedence over the continuation of a programme that increasingly exposes participants to security threats.