NYSC Relocates Corps Members Amid Benue Killings

In response to recent violent attacks in Benue State, the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has relocated corps members stationed in affected areas to safer locations in Makurdi.

Veronica Garba, the state NYSC Coordinator, revealed during an interview in Wannune, Tarka Local Government Area, that the corps members were swiftly evacuated from high-risk areas like Yelewata and Daudu. The relocation was carried out with the assistance of the police, following prompt communication from NYSC management.

The evacuated corps members are currently being housed in various family houses affiliated with religious and corps member associations, including the Nigeria Corpers Christian Fellowship, the National Association of Catholic Corps Members, and the Muslim Corpers Association of Nigeria.

Garba assured that all corps members were accounted for during a head count and none were missing. “We take their safety very seriously — they are like our children. Once we heard about the unrest, we contacted the Commissioner of Police, and his officers helped evacuate them,” she said.

She encouraged parents not to panic, assuring them of their children’s well-being and pointing to the relocation of security chiefs to Benue as a sign that the situation would soon improve. “Most importantly, God is with them,” she added.

This comes after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu visited Makurdi, where he met with stakeholders and instructed security agencies to secure the affected communities and apprehend those responsible for the attacks.