Three members of the National Youth Service Corps, (NYSC) were remanded in custody for robbery as alleged by a shop owner in the Suleja area of Niger State.
The authorities of the body in the night of Thursday, September 10, 2015 said it has intervened in the case and has secured bail for two of the three corps members.
It further assured that the third corps member will soon get reprieve, The Nation reports.
While stressing that there was no cause for alarm for other corps members, the management disclosed in a statement that it was working in liaison with Suleja Emirate, the Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies to guarantee the safety of corps members in the area.
The statement said: “We wish to inform the general public that immediately after the arrest of the trio, the National Youth Service Corps, acting on the position of the law that an accused person is presumed innocent until the contrary is proved, promptly reached out to key stakeholders including the State Police Command and the State Government in order to ensure that the Corps members did not suffer unduly.
Without prejudice to the investigative duties of the appropriate law enforcement agency, we have it on good authority that preliminary findings had shown that the accusation against the trio was based only on circumstantial evidence.
Following the joint intervention of the NYSC Scheme and the State Government through the Office of the Secretary to the Government and the Ministry of Youth Development, two of the accused Corps members have since been released while the process of securing the release of the third is on-going.
Management wishes to assure members of the public, particularly parents and guardians of Corps members that no single Corps member will be allowed to suffer unduly, especially over cases of mistaken identity during the service year.
We also wish to inform the public that the provisions of the NYSC Bye-Laws are very clear on the involvement of Corps members in criminal acts, though very unlikely, as their participation in the Scheme does not confer immunity from prosecution. We have, therefore, continued to sensitize members of the service corps on the need to be law-abiding and to shun acts capable of soiling the image of the Scheme and their families.
Management further wishes to allay the fears of all Corps members serving in Suleja regarding their safety. We have already intensified liaison with the Army, Police and other security agencies in the area as well as the Suleja Emirate Council who have all renewed their commitment to the protection of all Corps members in the area.
All Corps members in Suleja are, therefore, enjoined to go about their normal businesses without fear of molestation.”
