The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), again said it has advised all corps members not to travel late at night, especially after 6 p.m.
Reiterating the message in response to corp members that were travelling from Uyo to Akwa Ibom to Sokoto State through Zamfara State for camp orientation, Eddy Megwa, the NYSC Director of Press and Public Relations, stated this in an interview with Channels TV.
The eight corps members were abducted by gunmen along a highway in Zamfara State on August 19.
He said the corps members might not have been abducted if they had adhered to the corps’ warning against travelling beyond 6p.m.
Megwa, however, said that the NYSC management was making efforts to ensure the safe release of the abducted corps members.
He also urged prospective and serving corps members to adhere to the NYSC’s safety guidelines, including avoiding night journeys.
“So NYSC or corps members are not living in a different world, but we have made it categorically clear. We told our corps members, Please don’t travel at night. In their call up letters, we stated this clearly. We said, Please, wherever you are, once it is 6pm cut short your trip.
“Find a park, police station, military barracks, corps lodge, or anywhere you think is safe. Park and continue your journey tomorrow.
“Now ,this issue in question, they got to that point around p.m. and that Funtua road is very deadly. In fact, all passengers parked the moment they got to that place by 6 p.m., but this driver continued with his trip.
“Per chance they did not travel at night, per chance they slept at a safe place at 6 p.m., all these issues we are talking about wouldn’t have happened. However, it has happened, and it is our responsibility and responsibility of Nigerians to ensure we get them back safe and sound.
“There are security measures we put in place to make sure that such issues will not happen. When you go to our orientation camps, we have our security modalities that are put in place to ensure security breaches do not occur while in orientation camps.
“NYSC is very proactive, even before the commencement of the orientation camps, we made publications in traditional media, and told them specifically to not travel at night, The management has done everything that they need to do.”
