The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has condemned the reported abduction of 15 National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members in Kogi State and demanded their immediate and unconditional release.

The rights group, in a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko, expressed concern that young Nigerians serving their country could still be kidnapped on Nigerian highways without an effective system to protect them.

The corps members were reportedly abducted on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, while returning from the NYSC orientation camp in Bayelsa State and travelling towards Abuja.

They were reportedly intercepted by armed men along the Ofu/Itobe–Onicha-Igo road in Ofu Local Council of Kogi State.

HURIWA said the incident was another reminder of the failure to adequately protect NYSC members across the country, noting that corps members had, over the years, been kidnapped, attacked and killed while travelling to their places of primary assignment.

The organisation said the Federal Government had yet to provide a lasting solution to the security risks faced by corps members while travelling across the country.

HURIWA said the latest incident was another reason for a serious review of the NYSC scheme, particularly the movement of corps members through highways known to be dangerous.

It questioned why corps members travelling from high-risk areas could not be transported by air to safer locations before continuing their journeys to their places of primary assignment.

The group said the government could not continue to post young Nigerians to dangerous areas and leave them exposed to armed kidnappers on the highways, describing the situation as unacceptable.

HURIWA demanded the immediate rescue of all the abducted corps members, alive and unharmed, urging security agencies not to allow the incident to become another forgotten kidnapping case.

It also demanded a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding the abduction and the arrest and prosecution of all those responsible.

The rights group called on the Federal Government to urgently review the movement of corps members across the country and introduce safer transportation arrangements, including air transport where necessary.

HURIWA maintained that young Nigerians should not have to choose between serving their country and staying alive, urging the Federal Government to act immediately.