By John Alechenu, Abuja
ABUJA — The presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Prince Adewole Adebayo, has called on the Inspector-General of Police and other security agencies to urgently rescue National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members abducted in Imo State.
The corps members, graduates of tertiary institutions in Oyo State, were reportedly travelling from Ibadan to the NYSC orientation camp in Bende, Abia State, when they were ambushed at about 6:30 a.m. on October 1 along the Owerri-Onitsha Expressway, around Umunoha in Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State.
Ten of the victims were reportedly rescued at the scene by security operatives, while others remained in captivity.
Adebayo condemned the incident in a statement issued on Friday by the Head of Media and Communications of the Adewole Adebayo-Bugaje Presidential Campaign, Comrade Mark Adebayo.
He described the attack as unacceptable and called for immediate deployment of security resources to secure the release of the remaining corps members.
“This cowardly attack on young citizens serving their fatherland is an unacceptable assault on the nation’s future,” he said.
Adebayo urged the Inspector-General of Police, the military high command and the Imo State Commissioner of Police to deploy all available rapid-response assets to secure the victims’ release.
He said security agencies must act with urgency because of the vulnerability of the abducted corps members.
“We cannot fold our arms while the youth of this nation, who have committed themselves to national integration and service, are hunted down like game on public highways.
“Our security agencies must act with absolute urgency. This is a race against time, and no stone must be left unturned until every single corps member is brought back alive,” he said.
The SDP candidate also appealed to the governors of Anambra, Abia and Imo states to prioritise efforts to rescue the abducted corps members.
He urged the governors to suspend political disagreements and deploy available state security resources in support of the rescue operation.
“I am calling on the Governors of Anambra, Abia, and Imo states to drop everything they are doing right now. Shut down governance if you must, suspend political bickerings, and concentrate 100 per cent of your state security resources on rescuing these young Nigerians,” Adebayo said.
He stressed that the security and welfare of citizens should remain the primary responsibility of government.
“The primary purpose of government is the security and welfare of the people. Right now, your children are in the den of kidnappers; nothing else should matter until they are safely recovered,” he stated.
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