Fear of attack grips Kwara NYSC over suspicious movements around camp

Suspicious movements believed to pose security threat to the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, Orientation Camp in Yikpata, Edu Local Government Area of Kwara State, has triggered security scare and prompted restrictions of corps members movements, Daily Intel Newspaper has learnt.

Kwara State has become the latest hotbed for terrorist and bandit attacks, with scores killed or kidnapped on weekly basis.

According to reports, soldiers has directed corps members in the Kwara NYSC camp to stay indoors while investigation are ongoing on the unusual movements of strangers around the facility.

The camp, which has operated unfenced for years, has enabled herdsmen and villagers to move in and out without authorisation, creating deep insecurity for corps members deployed there.

A corps member in the camp who spoke to SaharaReporters on Monday said that while the management has downplayed the incident, many participants are unsettled by the development.

“They told us there’s no cause for alarm, but the truth is we sensed imminent danger,” the corps member explained.

“Security personnel instructed us, particularly the females, to go to our hostels and asked us not to come out. We heard they did this because there were strange movements near the camp and immediately asked us to remain indoors. They didn’t lock us inside, but we were instructed not to move around,” the corps member added.

The source, however, noted that the camp remained calm on Monday morning.

“There were unusual movements, So the corps members were asked to go inside,” another source told SaharaReporters. 

The tension was first heightened by an X user, LoveEby, who wrote, “Guys I’m so scared right now!  my sis jst called and said there’s an attack in their NYSC Camp right now in Kwara state. They locked every1 in their hostels and the Soldiers are moving up and down. May God protect each and every1 of them is jst 2days left.”

Another X user, Ariyo responded: “Y’all carrying false news up and down. But it’s just a false alarm from the girls.

“F-Soldiers yelled at Corpers to go into their hostels and one of them took it for a warning as if something had happened. The news spread so quick that even soldiers started to investigate.”

Despite assurances from camp officials, the sense of vulnerability remains palpable among the corps members, many of whom now fear that the lack of proper security infrastructure could make them easy targets for attacks.

Another social media user who is also privy to the situation said, “Security personnel sensed strangers were around the camp not even in the camp, we were told to stay inside not locked inside as the poster said.”