As the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) begins its 2026 Batch A (Stream 1) orientation exercise across the country, thousands of potential corps members and their families are worried, especially in places where bandit assaults, kidnappings, and bomb threats are common.
Reports from Saturday PUNCH say that corps members going on the 21-day orientation from Zamfara to Kaduna, Borno, Yobe, Plateau, and Katsina states have lengthy and scary trips ahead of them, even though officials say that all safety procedures are in place.
There have been a lot of terrorist attacks, killings, mass kidnappings, and bomb scares in the northern areas of the country in the last several weeks.
The NYSC said in a statement on January 6, 2026, that the 2026 Batch A (Stream 1) orientation exercise would start on Wednesday, January 21, at all 37 orientation sites across the country.
The NYSC said in September 2025 that about 650,000 graduates will be sent to work in 2026, up from the 400,000 who were sent to work in 2025.
However, only approximately 40% of registered prospective corps members are expected to take part in the present exercise. The other 60% would have to wait for the next phase.
According to recent news reports, some states have become hotspots for banditry, terrorism, and kidnappings.
Zamfara, Kaduna, Katsina, Sokoto, Kwara, Kogi, Niger, Plateau, Yobe, and Borno are some of these states.
Even though official deployment numbers haven’t been disclosed yet, it is expected that roughly 8,000 corps members will take part in the 21-day orientation exercise in the high-risk areas.
Yobe took an oath of office for 1,200 corps members yesterday.
It is thought that Kaduna State will have roughly 2,000 corps members, while Katsina will have about 2,050.
Our reporter spoke with Muhammad Ahmed, the Zamfara State NYSC Coordinator, who said that roughly 600 corps members were expected to be in the state for the exercise. Sokoto and Kebbi states will host about 1,900 and 1,700 corps members, respectively.
Corps members tell scary stories about their trips.
In separate contacts with our correspondent, corps members who were already in camp said they were worried about being sent to high-risk states, even though state governments said they had increased security near orientation camps.
A corps member who is currently going through the orientation exercise in Zamfara State and asked to remain anonymous because the NYSC does not allow him to talk to the press claimed that the likelihood of a bandit assault was his biggest fear when he saw his posting letter.
He said, “My biggest fear is insecurity, the fear of bandits and kidnappers.”
He said that his parents were likewise worried, but they later agreed and prayed for him.
The corps member, who graduated from Abubakar Tatari Ali Polytechnic in Bauchi with a degree in microbiology, claimed he spent nearly 28 hours traveling from Plateau State, where he lives, to the orientation camp in Zamfara, being careful the whole time.
“We got at Zamfara very late and had to spend the night in a nearby village in Funtua before going to the camp the next day. He went on to say, “Even though there were security guards in the village, we were still scared at first because you can’t predict an attack from non-state actors.”
Another corps member in Zamfara, who also wanted to stay anonymous, claimed that after about 24 hours on the road, he got to the orientation camp around 11 a.m. on Wednesday.
The graduate, who lived in Jos, Plateau State, said he split the trip into two parts, staying the night in Zaria before going on to Zamfara the next day.
“Since I got my call-up letter, I’ve been worried about how safe the state is.” I was thinking, “Zamfara again? The one we’ve heard about all the attacks from?” I was very afraid. He said, “But I told God to take the lead.”
“During my whole trip to the camp, I was worried that bandits or kidnappers may attack our bus. But God wanted us to get there safely. The fear is still there because you never know what will happen next.
He did, however, say that there was a lot of security at the Zamfara orientation camp, with military soldiers stationed at multiple checkpoints on highways leading to the camp.
A corps member who is now camped in Borno State and asked to remain anonymous said he was scared on his way from Abuja.
He said that the Borno orientation camp was calm on Wednesday and that there were a lot of security guards there.
When asked if he would beg to be moved after the workout, he didn’t say anything.
Esther, a corps member who was sent from Lagos to Kaduna State, said she was afraid the worst would happen, but she felt better when she got to the camp.
She remarked, “I was scared when I saw Kaduna on my posting letter, especially since we hear about kidnappings there.” But seeing cops and troops around the camp has made me feel better.
Another member of the Kaduna corps revealed that he and his family had talked a lot about safety measures before he went to the orientation exercise.
“My plan is to follow the NYSC rules and stay in the camp as much as possible.” He said, “My parents told me not to move around outside for no reason.”
Some members of the corps said they were banking on everyone being careful, early morning drills, and the presence of security personnel to keep them safe during the three-week exercise.
A woman from the South-East Corps claimed she had decided to stay away from activities that happened late at night and limit her interactions outside of formal camp programs.
“We are being attentive and praying. She also said, “After orientation, I will be very choosy about where I go for my main job.”
Several other corps members who talked to our reporter also said they were worried about security when they were sent to high-risk states, but they wouldn’t say anything else because of NYSC rules.
Parents want the best security possible.
Haruna Danjuma, the National President of the Parents-Teachers Association of Nigeria, stressed that the government at all levels must make sure that corps members in unstable states are as safe as possible.
He emphasized that the safety of corps members should not be taken lightly and that deployment should come with the best protection possible.
The national head of the PTA asked security authorities to work together to protect corps members.
“They should make sure they keep them safe with the best security possible. Traditional and religious leaders should work with security guards to keep these kids safe from kidnappers. “They know how to do it, and they should do it right,” he said.
We couldn’t get in touch with Caroline Embu, the NYSC Director of Information and Public Relations.
She didn’t answer her phone on Wednesday or Thursday.
As of the time this report was written, she has not responded to SMS or WhatsApp messages given to her.
States move camps out of places that are dangerous
In separate contacts with our correspondent, officials from the NYSC and the state governments of the affected states maintained that orientation camps were safe because of the security measures that had been put in place.
Mahmud Dantawasa, the Zamfara State Commissioner for Information, said that the safety of corps members will be guaranteed over the whole service year.
He said that the state government had moved the orientation camp from Tsafe town to Gusau, the state capital, to make things safer.
Samuel, the state NYSC spokesperson, also said that the NYSC secretariat and security agencies had worked together to make sure that the three-week orientation exercise went off without a hitch.
There were a lot of security guards from different agencies at the temporary orientation camp in Government College, Kurmi Marshi, Kaduna South Local Government Area.
There were security officers from the Nigeria Police Force, the military, and other agencies in the camp, as well as paramilitary groups like the Man O’ War, who were there for drills, crowd control, and surveillance.
An NYSC official in the state, who didn’t want to be named because he wasn’t allowed to talk to the media, stated that the camp’s current site was chosen because of past security issues.
“Yes, talking about moving. “Because of safety concerns in Sabon Gaya, the permanent camp was moved to Kurmi Marshi during the time of former Governor Nasir El-Rufai,” the spokesman stated.
He also said that the military had subsequently taken over the old camp area to make the Kaduna-Abuja route safer. The state government is still looking for a new permanent orientation camp.
The Kwara State NYSC also announced that its orientation camp had been moved from Yikpata in the Edu Local Government Area to Ilorin, the state capital, since September 2025. This was because of increased insecurity and ongoing bandit assaults in several regions of Kwara North.
On Wednesday, our reporter spoke with Onifade Olaoluwa Joshua, the NYSC State Coordinator, who said that the camp’s shift to Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin, was made for safety reasons.
“We are completely ready to host the orientation course, and we will make sure that the corps members are safe.” He said, “Security agencies have been sent to make sure that everyone is safe during the orientation exercise.”
Joshua said that the move was based on repeated security reports from Yikpata and nearby areas, where people had been attacked, killed, and kidnapped in the past few months.
Waheed Bello, a public affairs analyst in Ilorin, asked the Federal Government and the NYSC to look at where orientation camps are set up in areas with a lot of violence and make the country’s security stronger before future exercises.
“I think the state and federal governments should both sit down and look over orientation camps in places where there is a crisis or a lack of safety. “There’s nothing stopping the government from setting up temporary camps instead of using one activity to ruin the lives of others,” he said.
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