Afenifere Raises Alarm Over Rising Kidnappings, Calls for NYSC Reform

The pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, has expressed fresh concern over the increasing wave of kidnappings and violent attacks across Yorubaland and other parts of Nigeria.

In a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Jare Ajayi, the group described the growing insecurity as alarming, noting that criminal activities such as community invasions, arson, and brutal attacks on residents continue to escalate.

Afenifere cited several recent incidents, including the abduction of a trader in Ibadan, the kidnapping of two staff members of the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company along the Ibadan-Ijebu-Ode Road, as well as attacks on families in Ondo and Ekiti states. The group also referenced the killing of farmers in Oyo communities and the murder of military police officers in Kwara State.

The organisation further lamented the abduction of members of the National Youth Service Corps, the displacement of traditional rulers from their palaces in parts of Kwara due to repeated bandit attacks, and raids on vulnerable locations such as orphanages, places of worship, markets, and homes.

According to the statement, incidents of such violence were once uncommon in the South-West but have now spread across states including Oyo, Ogun, Ekiti, Ondo, Kwara, and parts of Kogi. It added that similar patterns of violence persist in other regions, particularly in Plateau, Benue, Niger, Nasarawa, Katsina, Borno, Bauchi, Kaduna, and the Federal Capital Territory.

On the safety of corps members, Afenifere urged the Federal Government to review the NYSC scheme by allowing participants to serve within their home states. The group highlighted cases of young graduates who were attacked or abducted while travelling to orientation camps across the country.

Reaffirming its earlier position first raised in 2021, Afenifere stressed that no citizen should be subjected to kidnapping or unlawful killing, calling for urgent and decisive action to address the worsening security situation.