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The Lagos State
Emergency Management Agency has evacuated 222 corps members posted to
different northern states who are indigenes of Lagos. The agency’s
general manager, Femi Oke-Osanyintolu, told journalists while receiving
the corps members, who arrived over a two-day period, that more corps
members who are in violent prone areas will be promptly evacuated.
“When we received distress calls from the NYSC members serving in the
northern states, especially Kano, Jigawa, Bauchi, we sought permission
from Governor Babatunde Fashola to activate our emergency response
plan,” he said. “As we speak, effort is on to move corps members from
different locations to the nearest airport where they can be flown to
safety.”

Nowhere is safe

Jimoh Nonayon, one
of the rescued corps members, said he had to call his friends in Lagos
to get state government officials’ phone numbers because nowhere, apart
from military barracks, was safe in Kano State. “We were very afraid,”
he said. “I contacted some of my friends, who gave me some numbers of
Lagos State Governor Fashola. I tried to send him a text on that Monday
evening. So, I thank God on Friday. They called us back that they are
coming to convey us.”

Though, riots broke
out in many northern states following the outcome of the April 16
presidential election, Mr Oke-Osanyintolu, responding to why it took
days before any rescue plan could be implemented, said the state
government had to monitor “the situation closely to see how it will pan
out and when we saw the need to act, we did immediately .” “The
evacuation process still continues,” he said. “Our men are on the
ground strategically at Jigawa, Gombe and Bauchi. We are not even
talking about the indigenes of Lagos State alone. We evacuated those
whose parents are in Lagos and others who want to come to Lagos for
safety.”

My experience

Mr Nonayon said he
came out of his lodge one day and “saw some gang of guys coming with
cutlasses and sticks.” “We call them Almajiri,” he said. “They were
shouting as they came, all I could hear from what they were saying ‘Sai
Baba, Sai Baba, CPC Sai Baba’. A man riding bike told us to run back
into the lodge. We were told that they were targeting non-indigenes,
corps members and supporters of other political parties that are not
really in support of CPC (Congress for Progressive Change). They
believed that corps members rigged the election in favour of President
Goodluck Jonathan.”

According to him,
some police officers came to their aid, hiding and locking them up in a
room while the rioters went on a destructive rampage, burning almost
every government structure. The rioters were said to have left with a
promise to go and reinforce. The corps members were informed that the
police station was no longer safe. The police authorities at the
station ordered that they be moved to the Bokavo Barracks before the
rioters’ return. “A lot of corps members ran for their lives,” he said.
“Rioters pursued some of them; and some were stabbed. But presently, in
Kano we have not really recorded any loss of life.”

Uneasy calm

The corps members
said National Youth Service Corps officials tried to persuade them not
to flee to their homes but stay in the barracks. “NYSC officials came
to address us but from the address, it was clear they have no plan for
saving our lives,” said Monday Alidumkwu, a corps member. “What they
wanted was for us to stay back and finish the gubernatorial elections,
but the rioters were saying that the violent outbreak of presidential
election was a child’s play. They said they decide who governs their
state.”

Mr Alidumkwu said
he was supervising a senior secondary schools external examination when
the riots broke out and had to flee with some of the scripts already
submitted by exam candidates. “I did not even go back to WAEC office
because doing so will be like dashing them my life,” he said.

Electoral problem

Mr Alidumkwu, who
also worked as a presiding officer during the polls, said he will not
go back to conduct the gubernatorial election, even if offered N1
million.

Another corps
member, who also worked as a presiding officer, Adekeye Oludare, said:
“Even if I am still there, I cannot go out to conduct election. [Party]
agents threatened us and the policemen attached to us were not armed.
So, the policemen were just begging us to comply with their demands. In
the last election, I was almost beaten. We were about to start counting
the votes and some people came telling us they went to go and pray and
they now want to vote. When I refused, they threatened to beat me. I
called the police but they did not show up. I had to allow them because
I was there alone in that village. So, after that election, I already
told INEC officials that I will not show up for the gubernatorial
election.”