Auto Crash Claims 16 Prospective Corps Members’ Lives While Traveling to NYSC Camp

Sixteen out of eighteen Prospective Corps Members (PCMs) have died in a road accident while travelling from Ondo State to the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) orientation camp in Gombe State.

The remaining two students survived but sustained severe injuries and are currently in critical condition at a hospital.

All the victims were graduates of Adeyemi Federal University of Education (AFUED) in Ondo State.

They were travelling in an 18-seater bus when the incident occurred.

According to eyewitnesses, the crash was devastating, leaving only two survivors with serious wounds.

Emergency responders recovered the bodies and transported the injured to a nearby medical facility.

As of the time of filing this report, NYSC Management had yet to release an official statement. Meanwhile, authorities, including the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), have commenced an investigation into the cause of the accident.

The tragedy has renewed national concerns about road safety, particularly for young graduates posted to far-distanced Places of Primary Assignment (PPA) by the NYSC.

Across social media and within university communities, there have been increasing calls for improved travel safety measures and tighter regulation of vehicles used in transporting prospective corps members.

Some stakeholders have also suggested a review of NYSC deployment procedures to minimise the need for long and hazardous journeys.