“We hear one gunshot, di driver stop. Dem ask evribodi to come down. Dem separate us, come tell us to face floor”
Patience (no be her real name sake of to protect her identity) dey tok about di night for 2023 wen she and ten oda pipo land for di hand of kidnappers, as dem dey travel by bus through rural Kogi State for central Nigeria.
Patience bin dey go orientation camp for di beginning of her one-year national service programme (NYSC) wey dey compulsory for Nigerian university and polytechnic graduates.
Di purpose of di programme wey dem establish for 1970s na to bring unity between Nigeria hundreds of different ethnic communities.
NYSC recruits, or “corpers” as dem dey call dem, dey travel go inside far villages to do public service projects wey goment go pay dem tachere money.
Afta dem order Patience and di odas make dem enta bush, di kidnappers ask dem to give dem all dia tins.
Den one kidnapper tell Patience make she call her papa and tell am say dem want 20 million Nigerian Naira (USD 15,000) or dem go kill her.
“I say to am, if I get 20 million, you no go find my daughter to kidnap,” Patience papa say im tell di kidnapper.
“She for dey fly to di nearest airport. And den she for dey enta di state wit military escort. I no get dat kain money.”
Easy targets
For many, NYSC experience dey positive. But, as kidnapping dey increase throughout Nigeria, young graduates say dem dey fear say dem go target dem.
Since di last ten years dem don kidnap over 80 NYSC corpers, according to the Nigerian Foundation for Investigative Journalism.
Although dis na small compare to di 4,427 pipo wey dem bin kidnap just for 2023, corpers dey face special case wey put dem for danger.
As university graduates for di kontri na only one small part of di population of young pipo wey enta higher institution, dem dey mostly come from richer home and therefore dem be higher-value targets.
At di same time, heavy inflation don wipe many family saving, meaning say even richer corpers dey forced to take cheaper transport to interior villages wia dem post dem.
“Di good tin about di age of pipo wey dey do di NYSC from di eyes of di kidnapper be say dem be really captive market,” Ikemesit Effiong, one security researcher wit risk consultancy SBM Intelligence, tok.
E dey hard for graduates to pull out of NYSC programme as di discharge certificate dey required for most formal sector employment.
Mma Amara Ekeruche from Centre for di Study of di Economies of Africa say wit labour market wey dey over full and high competition to get work, e mean say graduates gatz to work hard to stand out from di crowd.
“Di more educated you dey, di more e go hard you to find work. And women dey suffer am pass,” she tok.
Lack of protection
Many young Nigerians don enta social media to para about di pressure wey dem dey face to complete NYSC, and dia frustration wit NYSC authorities for failing to protect dem.
For 2021, one foto blow for Twitter now X, wey bin show one page for di NYSC orientation handbook, wia dem dey advise recruits wey dey travel for some kain roads to make sure say dem don already arrange dia ransom money.
“Di conversations na mostly about just anger and di feeling say dem leave dem to take care of demsef,” Ebenezar Wikina of youth-focussed policy thinktank Policy Shapers, tok.
Wikina say many graduates tok say dem go try refuse to serve if dem send dem go some kain place.
“You get more young pipo wey dey tok say, if dem kidnap me, goment no go come for me, NYSC no go come for me, I go hang for dia,” im tok.
BBC carry di mata wey dem raise for dis story go NYSC and Nigeria Interior Ministry but no receive any response.
For March, NYSC Director-General Yusha’u Ahmed tell corpers say make dem serve wia dem send dem and mind dia own security.
“Take your security very seriously, apply di tips wey dey di pamphlet wey dem give you and di orientation wey you receive,” im tell di corpers wey dey do orientation for camp.
But for Patience, wey dem kidnap for di beginning of her NYSC programme, na her family instead of di authorities wey rescue her.
Patience and di oda victims spend nine days for di hand of di kidnappers as di negotiation bin dey happun between her papa and di kidnappers.
Some of di victims chop beating. Patience say her last night for captivity na di worst.
“Dat night, rain beat us no be small. Dem bin dey high, kon dey act really aggressive, so dat night bin dey really rough,” she tok.
Finally, Patience papa negotiate di ransom down to amount wey im fit raise from family and friends.
E bin dey less dan di 20m naira wey di kidnappers bin demand, but e bin dey enough to get her release.
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