Gunmen Attack NYSC Lodge, Injure Corps Member, Steal Valuables

Armed men on Wednesday night attacked members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) at the Nigerian Christian Corpers’ Fellowship (NCCF) Family House in Urua Ekpa, Itu Local Government Area, dispossessing them of valuables and injuring one female corps member.

According to eyewitnesses, the assailants stormed the lodge along Calabar–Itu Road, carting away at least 13 mobile phones, three power banks, a laptop, and important personal documents. During the operation, a female corps member was reportedly struck with a gun and briefly lost consciousness.

Victims described the incident as the second armed robbery at the NCCF lodge in less than a year. The previous attack, on November 17, 2024, left three people injured and valuables including laptops and phones stolen.

“This is becoming a pattern. Last year, they stole eight phones, three laptops, and four power banks. Now it has happened again, and the government is silent,” one corps member told SaharaReporters.

Some of the victims alleged that corps members have been warned not to post about such incidents on social media — a move they say is aimed at downplaying insecurity in the state.

“Corpers are facing real danger here, but the authorities want us to keep quiet. If urgent action is not taken, these attacks will continue,” another corps member lamented.

The corps members have appealed to the federal government, NYSC leadership, and security agencies to provide better protection, warning that the NCCF lodge has become a soft target for criminals.

This latest attack comes weeks after reports of heightened security concerns at the NYSC Orientation Camp in Yikpata, Kwara State, where soldiers restricted movement following unusual activity by strangers around the unfenced facility.