by Tolu Orekoya

The rise in violence in Nigerian northern states have sent non-residents fleeing from the region, as bombings by terrorist group Boko Haram and reprisal attacks flourish. The National Youth Service Corps still deployed corps members to states such as Bauchi, Borno, Kaduna, Kano, Sokoto and Yobe, despite the lack of stability in those states.

Some of the corps members from the 2012 Batch B are asking to be redeployed from those states for fear of their safety, and many were dismayed when they received their call-up letters.

The fresh corp members took to social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook to show their discontent and fear:

While others read, “We need to arise and stop the government from sentencing us and our loved ones to death. Is our government/NYSC this heartless or simply inhumane? We seek our immediate redeployment, we want to live in places where we can work with peace of mind,” according to the newspaper.

Concerned family have asked the NYSC to deal with the situation, and the Youth Service organisation is said to be working with the states in question on how best to ensure the safety and security of the members while they are deployed.

Speaking to the Punch in a telephone interview on Sunday, the Borno State Commissioner for Information, Inuwa Bwala on behalf of the Governor Alhaji Kashim Shettima, made a case for corps members to be posted to the state.

He said, “While it is true that we have security challenges, it is a fact that these challenges are not exclusive to Borno State.

“We don’t have on record any attack on visitors neither do we have any record of attacks on the NYSC camp or corps members posted to and currently serving in Borno State.”

While some tweeted that those posted to Borno and Yobe will have their training camps in Adamawa state to help alleviate fears, for many on the microblogging site, it only highlighted the precarious safety situation in the region.