Lagos State evacuates 222 corps members from the North!

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."

Source:
http://urlred.com/Lgovg