Abducted corps members: CUPP fumes, says Nigeria’s security strategy has failed

Demands their unconditional release

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The Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) has condemned the abduction of prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in Imo State, describing it as a grave national emergency and a complete failure of the nation’s security architecture.

In a statement signed by its spokesperson, Agu Diamond Bryan, the coalition demanded the immediate, safe and unconditional rescue of 20 victims reportedly still in captivity.

According to CUPP, while 10 victims have allegedly been rescued, 20 prospective NYSC members are reportedly still being held by their abductors.

“These young Nigerians were not criminals or combatants. They were graduates responding to a national obligation. Their only offence was travelling on a Nigerian road,” CUPP said.

The coalition said the incident raises serious questions about intelligence, highway surveillance, patrols and rapid response.

“Where was the intelligence? Where was highway surveillance? Where were the security patrols? This is not merely a kidnapping story. It is a security failure, governance failure, intelligence failure, institutional failure and failure of state protection,” the statement said.

CUPP said the attack mirrors previous mass abductions including Chibok, Dapchi, Kankara, Kagara, Jangebe, Bethel Baptist and the Abuja-Kaduna train attack, adding that the government continues to offer assurances while citizens are kidnapped on roads, in schools, churches, mosques and communities.

The group demanded that the Inspector-General of Police and relevant security chiefs take direct operational responsibility for the rescue, and that the DSS, Army, Air Force and Defence Intelligence Agency deploy full intelligence and rescue capabilities.

It also called for credible updates to families, investigation of the circumstances that enabled the attack, arrest and prosecution of perpetrators, a comprehensive security audit of major highways, and humanitarian and psychological support for victims’ families.

The coalition further urged the Federal Government to strengthen the legal framework for combating kidnapping and present a clear, measurable and time-bound national security roadmap.

While stating that it does not allege President Bola Ahmed Tinubu personally ordered the abduction, CUPP insisted that political and constitutional responsibility for protecting citizens rests with the Federal Government, which controls the security architecture.

“The Tinubu administration cannot continue to govern by assurances while families negotiate with kidnappers for the lives of their children. Nigerians deserve security, not excuses; action, not propaganda; results, not promises,” CUPP said.

“The 20 prospective NYSC members are not statistics. They are Nigerian citizens, someone’s children, siblings and future. They must be rescued NOW. Enough is enough,” the coalition added.