Jude Obiejesi

Every prospective corps member who leaves home for orientation camp carries the hopes of a family and the trust of a nation that has called them to serve. That trust was broken on Thursday, October 1, 2026, when gunmen kidnapped our young graduates going from Ibadan to their orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom States. My thoughts and prayers are with the parents, siblings and loved ones of these young Nigerians, who have spent every hour since that morning waiting anxiously for news of their children. I know that no words can ease the anguish of a mother who sent her child out to serve the nation, and I will not pretend that any statement can. Your children are our children, and their safe return is the single concern of everyone who works for the Nigerian youth today. I am encouraged that our security agencies are working in close coordination with the Oyo, Imo and Abia State Governments, as well as military and federal intelligence services, to bring every abducted corps member home safely. I am confident that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who has consistently placed the protection of Nigerian lives at the centre of his administration, will ensure that every necessary resource is committed to this rescue. I appeal to anyone with useful information to share it with the nearest security formation, and I urge the families to hold on to hope while the rescue effort continues. I equally call on community leaders and residents along the affected corridor to extend to our security agencies the cooperation that a successful rescue operation requires. I pray that Almighty God will keep these young Nigerians safe in His hands, grant them strength through this ordeal, and return them soon to the warm embrace of their families.