Rescued Corps members relive ordeal

I doubt if we would have been alive to tell this story, because the mob were seen to be battle ready. We can never forget how we escaped. We thank God. Governor Isah Yuguda’s action and that of the SSS will remain green in our mind."

This is the tale of Ibrahim, one of the corps members rescued during the post-election violence that erupted in Bauchi State following the declaration of President Goodluck Jonathan as the winner of the April 16 election.

He is among the members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) brought to Abuja by a civil society organisation.

In an interview with Newsextra, Ibrahim and Ifeoma Nwaoni narrated their ordeal in the hands of hoodlums who unleashed terror on the innocent citizens staying in the hitherto peaceful state.

Before the violence, the corps members described their stay in the state as "a fruitful" one with a lot of hope under the Isah Yuguda administration.

Ibrahim said: "As soon as the violence erupted, the state government came to our aid. Indeed, the Bauchi State governor is a saviour and he is worthy of commendation because he proved himself as a father, a humane leader and a patriot by immediately gathering the 3,500 corps members in the state to the SSS Training School within three hours for to ensure our safety.

"Equally, he went further to ensure that the school is secure by armoured tanks, an action which gave us the requisite psychological feeling of safety.

"Had the governor not taken this proactive measure, I doubt if we would have been alive to tell this story."

The corps members narrated that while at the State Security Service (SSS) training college, as they were assembled in a hall, they kept on wondering why they suddenly became the target of the transgressors.

"Fears written all over us, the governor came in and when he saw our countenance, he wept. He promised to bring the perpetrators to book and to secure us. He said we should see ourselves as his children, as he will do everything to protect us on behalf of our parents and the Nation.

"The presence of the NYSC Director-General from Abuja to the state also gave us some form of comfort. The Governor couldn’t control his emotions. He said corps members don’t deserve to die that way, even as he promised that those behind the gruesome killing of these innocent patriots will not only face the full wrath of the law but will also have Allah’s punishment awaiting them.

"The Governor went further to give all the corps members in the state little support of N10,000 as he expressed his sympathy on behalf of the people of Bauchi State to the families of the slain corps members. He also promised to immortalise them for their sacrifice to the nation’s democracy. Thus, the SSS College was, indeed, our home of refuge before our evacuation."

The National Youth Council of Nigeria, (NYCN) has demanded an apology from the Congress for Progresive Change, (CPC) over the death of 10 corps members in Bauchi State.

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