In response to escalating insecurity in parts of Benue State, the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has taken proactive measures to safeguard corps members serving in volatile areas.
The State Coordinator of the scheme, Mrs. Veronica Garba, revealed on Thursday that all corps members in affected communities have been successfully relocated to family houses in Makurdi, the state capital.
Garba made this known during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Wannune, Tarka Local Government Area. She explained that the NYSC management acted swiftly upon receiving reports of the recent violence in communities such as Yelewata and Daudu.
With immediate concern for the welfare of the corps members, the NYSC reached out to the state’s police command to facilitate their evacuation.
According to her, the police promptly responded, deploying officers to extract the corps members from the crisis-hit zones. The evacuated members were then accommodated in various family houses within Makurdi, including facilities provided by the Nigeria Corpers Christian Fellowship, the National Association of Catholic Corps Members, and the Muslim Corpers Association of Nigeria.
“We do not joke with the safety of our corps members because we take them as our children,” Garba said. “As soon as we heard about the crisis, we contacted the Commissioner of Police who detailed his officers to help us evacuate our corps members.”
She further disclosed that a headcount was conducted immediately after the evacuation, confirming that no corps member was unaccounted for. Garba noted that the corps members will remain in Makurdi until the security situation in their places of primary assignment improves significantly.
She urged parents and guardians to remain calm, assuring them that their wards are safe and being well cared for. She also expressed optimism that security would be restored in the affected communities following the relocation of Nigeria’s security chiefs to Benue State.
“I am sure that the parents of our corps members have heard that all the security chiefs have moved to Benue, so they have no reason to fear,” she said.
Beyond physical security arrangements, Garba offered words of spiritual encouragement, stating, “Above all, God, who is the safest security, is everywhere; He is with your children too.”
Her remarks came just a day after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s visit to Benue State. The President had arrived in Makurdi to meet with local stakeholders and oversee efforts to stabilize the security situation, which has recently seen a deadly escalation, including attacks that claimed numerous lives.
During his visit, he directed the nation’s security agencies to restore peace and ensure the arrest of perpetrators responsible for the violence.
What You Should Know
In the wake of escalating violence in parts of Benue State, the NYSC has safely evacuated all corps members from high-risk areas to secure accommodations in Makurdi.
The relocation, conducted with police assistance, followed deadly attacks in communities like Yelewata and Daudu. NYSC authorities urge calm and assure parents of their children’s safety.
