16 prospective corps members die in road crash on way to NYSC camp
16 Prospective Corps Members (PCMs) have lost their lives in a road accident while travelling to the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) orientation camp in Gombe State.
Two other students from the same trip survived, but both remained in critical condition at a hospital.
The victims were reportedly all graduates of Adeyemi Federal University of Education (AFUED) in Ondo State.
They were travelling in an 18‑seater bus when the crash occurred. Eyewitnesses said the accident was catastrophic, leaving two survivors fatally wounded.
Emergency responders recovered the bodies and evacuated the injured to a local medical facility.
As of press time, no formal statement has been issued by the NYSC Management. Authorities, including the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), were leading the investigation into the cause of the crash.
The incident has reignited national concerns over road safety, especially for young graduates mobilised to distant place of primary assignment (PPA) by NYSC.
On social media and across university communities, there were growing calls for stronger travel safety protocols and stricter oversight of vehicles used to transport prospective corps members. Some have even urged a rethink of how NYSC deployment is handled, suggesting that mobilisation procedures should prioritise reducing long, risky journeys.
