Family hides ‘missing’ corps member in Lagos – NYSC

The National Youth Service Corps on Friday said it would “begin to prosecute corps members, who abscond from their national service for something else.”

The NYSC said this in reaction to the case of a corps member, Akeem Adekunle, deployed to Akwa Ibom State and posted to Itam Secondary School in Itu Local Government Area, who had been purportedly ‘missing’ for a few months.

The ‘missing’ corps member has, however, been ‘found’ with his family members in Lagos after allegedly absconding from his place of primary assignment.

The PUNCH had exclusively published stories on the ‘missing’ corps member on national assignment in Akwa Ibom State.

A statement by the Director of Press and Public Relations in NYSC, Mrs. Bose Aderibigbe, alleged that Adekunle abandoned his place of primary assignment three months ago and since then had been with his family members without reporting to the authorities.

According to her, the team set up by the Director-General of NYSC, Brig.-Gen. Johnson Olawumi, visited the family of the missing corps member to unravel the circumstances leading to his disappearance only to discover that he was with his family members.

The leader of the team, Mr. Micheal Ahile and Director (Corps Welfare and Inspectorate) confirmed that Akeem Adekunle “abandoned his place of primary assignment some three months ago in Akwa Ibom State and since then has been with his family members without reporting to the team.”

The NYSC said it “discovered that the family members have been shielding the corps member while giving the impression that he was missing.”

Ahile, who was accompanied by NYSC’s Head of Legal Unit, Ahmed Tijani, and Assistant Director (Press and Public Relations Unit), Eddy Megwa, warned that “the NYSC will not tolerate a situation where family members will cover up for corps members who abandon national service.”

The team also visited the family of Egwu Donald, who was confirmed by the police to have drowned in a river in Delta State and the family of Ekong Samuel, who the police also confirmed was kidnapped and murdered under mysterious circumstances.

The NYSC team, on behalf of its DG, expressed sympathy with the families of both corps members and assured them that the organisation fully identified with them in the painful situation they were passing through.