Four days after prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members were abducted in Imo State, presidential candidate of the Allied People’s Movement (APM), Seyi Makinde, has demanded their immediate rescue, warning that every additional hour in captivity deepens the government’s security burden.
Makinde, in a statement issued by the Director of Strategic Communications of the Makinde/Daura Presidential Campaign Organisation, Richard Ihediwa, on Saturday, said the Federal Government must move beyond assurances and deploy decisive action to secure the safe return of the abducted youths.
The prospective corps members were reportedly abducted on Independence Day in Imo State, with Makinde describing their continued detention as unacceptable and a test of the government’s responsibility to protect citizens.
“One hour in captivity is one hour too long, and one victim in captivity is one victim too many,” he said.
The APM presidential candidate also called for the unconditional release of Nigerians abducted in Niger, Kwara, Kaduna, Zamfara, Sokoto, Katsina, Borno and other parts of the country.
He invoked Section 14(2)(b) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, which identifies the security and welfare of citizens as a primary purpose of government, arguing that the responsibility becomes particularly compelling when young Nigerians are participating in a national service programme.
Makinde said the worsening insecurity across the country could no longer be addressed through what he described as rhetoric or half-measures, insisting that the Federal Government must confront the threat with greater urgency.
He accused the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led administration of failing to decisively contain the security crisis, alleging that terrorist groups had killed more than 600,000 Nigerians within the last three and a half years.
“These ugly indices are unacceptable and can no longer be overlooked by Nigerians,” Makinde said.
He argued that the continued abduction of citizens, including youths preparing to serve their country, had consequences beyond individual victims, as it could undermine public confidence in national programmes and the government’s capacity to guarantee basic safety.
Makinde said Nigerians would have the opportunity to pass judgment on the Tinubu administration at the 2027 polls, but stressed that the political contest should not distract the government from its present obligation to protect lives.
He therefore urged President Bola Tinubu to make the rescue of the abducted prospective corps members an immediate priority and ensure that they return safely to their families.
He also demanded intensified efforts to locate and free other Nigerians still being held by abductors across the country, saying the government must demonstrate through action that the security and welfare of citizens remain its primary responsibility.
