BENUE CRISIS: NYSC EVACUATES CORPS MEMBERS TO SAFER LOCATIONS

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has confirmed the evacuation of corps members from conflict-affected areas in Benue State to safer locations in the state capital, Makurdi. The Benue State Coordinator of NYSC, Mrs. Veronica Garba, disclosed this during an interview with journalists in Wannune, Tarka Local Government Area.

According to Garba, corps members posted to volatile regions such as Yelewata and Daudu were swiftly relocated following reports of rising insecurity. “We do not joke with the safety of our corps members because we take them as our children,” Garba emphasized.

The NYSC management acted immediately upon receiving information about the crisis, moving the affected corps members into designated NYSC family houses. Garba revealed that a headcount was conducted after the evacuation, and none of the corps members was missing. “We arranged with the heads of all the family houses and got them settled in Makurdi pending when the situation will improve,” she added.

The temporary accommodations include facilities provided by the Nigeria Corpers Christian Fellowship (NCCF), the National Association of Catholic Corps Members (NACCM), and the Muslim Corpers Association of Nigeria (MCAN). Garba reassured worried parents that their children were safe and urged them to remain calm.

“I am sure that the parents of our Corps members have heard that all the security chiefs have moved to Benue so they have no reason to fear. Above all, God who is the safest security is everywhere; He is with your children too,” Garba said, expressing optimism that the situation would soon stabilize with increased federal attention on the crisis.

The evacuation follows President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s recent visit to Makurdi, where he directed security officials to restore sanity to the affected communities and hold culprits of the violence accountable.