NYSC disowns safety pamphlet advising corps members to pay ransom

The National Youth Service Corps has disowned a pamphlet circulating on social media that purportedly advises corps members to pay ransom if kidnapped.

The scheme described the document as fake and not its official publication.

In a statement issued via its X handle on Thursday, the NYSC management clarified that although a consultant had presented a similar document for consideration in 2021, it was not adopted.

“The attention of the Management of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has been drawn to a purported NYSC pamphlet advising corps members to pay ransom in the event of kidnapping.

While a similar document was presented to Management for consideration by a consultant in 2021, it was not adopted by the Scheme.

“Management, therefore, wishes to make it clear that the document being circulated is not an official NYSC publication and does not represent the Scheme’s policy regarding staff and corps members’ security; as such, it should be ignored,” the statement read.

The NYSC reassured corps members and the public of its commitment to their safety, noting that it continues to work closely with security agencies and other stakeholders to enhance protection for staff and corps members.

The clarification comes as the document resurfaced online, sparking renewed reactions over Nigeria’s security challenges, including kidnapping risks.

The pamphlet first gained public attention in September 2021 ,when images of its content circulated widely on social media.

It advised travellers on “high-risk roads” to alert “family, friends, or colleagues” so that someone would be available to “pay off the ransom that could be demanded” in the event of an abduction.

At the time, the NYSC initially dismissed it as fake but later acknowledged that variations of the document had been distributed, prompting an internal investigation.

The document’s reemergence also comes amid heightened national tensions, including recent abductions in Kwara State, and US President Donald Trump’s recent threats of military action against Nigeria over alleged persecution of Christians.

culled from punch