Abducted corps members: Pressure mounts on Tinubu to launch rescue

• Makinde: An hour in captivity too long

• HURIWA seeks joint security operation, warns against reckless assault

From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja, and Noah Ebije, Kaduna

Pressure mounted on President Bola Tinubu and the nation’s security agencies yesterday to secure the release of 19 prospective National Youth Service Corps members and other travellers abducted in Imo State on October 1.

Presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement, Seyi Makinde, and the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria separately demanded immediate action, warning that every additional hour spent in captivity exposed the victims to greater danger.

While Makinde charged Tinubu to exercise his powers as Commander-in-Chief, HURIWA called for a unified rescue command involving the police, military, Department of State Services and specialists in hostage rescue and bomb disposal.

In a statement by the Director of Strategic Communications of the Makinde-Daura Presidential Campaign Organisation, Richard Ihediwa, Makinde described the continued captivity of the prospective corps members as unpardonable.

He also demanded the unconditional release of Nigerians held by abductors in Niger, Kwara, Kaduna, Zamfara, Sokoto, Katsina, Borno and other parts of the country.

Makinde accused the President of remaining silent four days after the Imo abduction while the victims were left “to languish in misery in their captors’ den.”

“Nigerians cannot afford a leadership that is not alive to the primary purpose of government, as provided under Section 14(2)(b) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, as amended, which is the security and welfare of the people,” he said.

The APM candidate argued that the Federal Government assumed a special responsibility for the protection of young Nigerians immediately they were called up for national service.

“President Tinubu is reminded that, apart from the constitutional right to protection as citizens, immediately Nigerian youths are called up for NYSC, their security and well-being become the exclusive responsibility of the Federal Government,” he stated.

The campaign organisation maintained that no Nigerian should be allowed to remain in the custody of kidnappers for any length of time.

“One hour in captivity is one hour too long, and one victim in captivity is one victim too many.

“The MDPCO calls on President Tinubu to act now, deal decisively with insecurity and bring back the abducted corps members and all other Nigerians languishing in the hands of their abductors,” the statement added.

HURIWA, in a separate statement signed by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko, said the reported discovery of the kidnappers’ forest hideout and improvised explosive devices around the camp had turned the operation into an urgent national security priority.

It warned that the reported presence of explosives must not become an excuse for prolonged delay.

“HURIWA demands the immediate and safe rescue of the 19 prospective NYSC members and other travellers abducted in Imo State.

“We urge the Federal Government to deploy every available intelligence, security asset and specialist capability to secure their release,” the association said.

The group called on the Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Army, DSS and Nigerian Air Force to establish a unified rescue command comprising personnel trained in hostage rescue, explosive ordnance disposal, intelligence gathering and jungle operations.

According to the organisation, the reported location of the hideout gives the security agencies an opportunity to intensify intelligence-led efforts without exposing the hostages to avoidable danger.

It demanded continuous aerial surveillance and ground intelligence around the forest to prevent the abductors from relocating or harming their captives.

HURIWA also advocated the establishment of a secure perimeter around the hideout, the sealing of possible escape routes and the deployment of bomb-disposal experts and suitable armoured equipment.

It, however, warned against any reckless assault that could endanger the abducted corps members and other travellers.

“The safety of the hostages must remain the overriding consideration throughout the operation,” it said.

The rights group also asked the security agencies to establish a dedicated communication channel through which the victims’ families could receive regular and verified updates on the rescue effort.

It said the operation should not end with the release of the victims, urging the government to identify, arrest and prosecute the kidnappers and their collaborators.

“Those responsible for the abduction must be tracked, arrested and prosecuted after the victims have been safely recovered,” the organisation said.

HURIWA demanded medical, psychological and welfare support for the victims after their rescue, given the trauma associated with captivity.

It also renewed its call for a comprehensive review of the NYSC scheme, noting that security incidents involving corps members had persisted for years.

Although it restated its proposal for a possible one-year suspension of the scheme to enable the government to develop a sustainable security framework, the group stressed that the immediate priority must be the rescue of those in captivity.

“Every minute matters in a hostage situation,” HURIWA said, urging the authorities to act with “urgency, coordination and determination.”