Benue Crisis: NYSC Evacuates Corps Members
The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has evacuated corps members from crisis areas in Benue State to safer locations in Makurdi.
According to the NYSC Benue State Coordinator, Mrs. Veronica Garba, the corps members were evacuated from Yelewata and Daudu areas and settled in NYSC family houses, including offices of the Nigeria Corpers Christian Fellowship (NCCF), National Association of Catholic Corps Members (NACCM), and Muslim Corpers Association of Nigeria (MCAN).
Garba, in an interview with journalists on Thursday in Wannune, Tarka Local Government Area of Benue State, stated that the evacuation was carried out promptly after the NYSC management received reports of the crisis, and the corps members were safely settled in Makurdi.
“We do not joke with the safety of our corps members because we take them as our children so as soon as we heard about the crisis, we contacted the Commissioner of Police who detailed his officers to help us evacuate our corps members.
“We then did our head count and none was missing so we arranged with the heads of all the family houses and got them settled in Makurdi for now pending when the situation will improve,” she said.
She assured parents that their children were safe and urged them to remain calm.
The coordinator attributed the successful evacuation to the assistance of the Commissioner of Police, who detailed officers to help with the operation.
She also expressed optimism that the situation would improve with the recent relocation of security chiefs to Benue.
“I am sure that the parents of our Corps members have heard that all the security chiefs have moved to Benue so they have no reason to fear.
“Above all, God who is the safest security is everywhere; He is with your children too,” she said.
Recall that bandits, suspected to be armed herders, last Friday, attacked Yelewata community, leading to the death of over 200 residents and the displacement of over 6,500 others.
The attack prompted President Bola Tinubu to visit the state on Wednesday, while directing security chiefs to ensure that the perpetrators were arrested.
Benue Crisis: NYSC Evacuates Corps Members is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
