Gunmen who attacked FC Ifeanyi Ubah bus not corps members ― NYSC

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), on Tuesday, confirmed that some gunmen wearing its uniform had attacked a bus belonging to the FC Ifeanyi Ubah football club along Lokoja road.

The attackers had shot at the bus driver while some of the team members also sustained various degrees of injuries.

While condemning the act, the NYSC in a statement issued by the Director of Public relations, Mrs Adenike Adeyemi, distanced itself from the incident saying corps members do not bear arms, neither do they carry out stop and searches.

“The Management of the National Youth Service Corps Scheme notes with trepidation the attack on FC Ifeanyi Ubah Football Club by some daredevil gunmen dressed in NYSC uniform.

“While Management sincerely commiserates with the notable football team over the attack which sadly resulted in severe bodily harm to the bus driver who was shot and some team members who also sustained injuries, it wishes to dissociate the National Youth Service Corps from the dastardly attack, as Corps Members neither bear arms, nor carry out stop – and – search,” the statement partly reads.

It maintained that under the NYSC Act CAP N84 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, it is a criminal offence for any person who is not a member of the Corps to put on NYSC uniform or any part of it.

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To this end, it urged law enforcement agencies, especially the Police and Department of State Services to immediately apprehend and prosecute any unqualified person caught in NYSC uniform since such person poses a big threat to national security.

It added that: “In the same vein, the Corps will spare no effort in shielding the uniform from unwarranted abuses by some filmmakers, as well as comedians who employ NYSC uniform as costume, without first and foremost seeking express permission from the Scheme to do so. Henceforth, the full weight of the law will be brought to bear on such culprits.

“As Management wishes the injured team members speedy recovery, the Director-General of the Scheme, Brig-Gen Shuaibu Ibrahim in the same vein admonishes all Corps Members to, at all times make their identity cards readily available for identification.”