They came alive to Bauchi State to serve the nation, but yesterday when it was time to leave, they left as dead heroes.
The remains of the nine National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members killed in the state in the aftermath of the April 16 election violence were yesterday moved from Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH) mortuary to their various places of birth for onward commitment to mother earth.
It was not a beautiful sight to behold as sympathizers, friends, compatriots and relatives who were at the morgue to bid them goodbye could not control their emotions as the reality of the tragedy dawned on them.
The murdered corps members were evacuated by officials of the National Directorate Headquarters of the National Youths Service Corps (NYSC), Abuja led by Mr Yakubu Jok, a Deputy Director of NYSC. The officials got to the mortuary as early as 6 am and waited for the corpses of the fallen youthful and energetic heroes to be dressed in their full NYSC attires before they were loaded into the nine ambulances line up for their transportation amidst wailing and prayers.
The nine corps members, among whom seven were murdered at Giade Police Station had a female corps member who was pregnant, but was raped by her killers. The murderd corps members were Adewumi Seun (Ekit Statei), Teidi Olawale Tosin (Kogi), Adowei Elliot (Bayelsa), Okpokiri Obinna (Abia), Gbenjo Ebenezer Ayotunde (Osun), Ukeoma Ikechuwku Chibuzor (Imo), Nwazema Anslem Chukwuonyerem (Imo), Adeniji Kehinde Jehleel (Osun) and Akonyi Ibrahim Sule( Kogi).
The seven killed in Giade Police Station had run there for safety but the killers overpowered the policemen on duty, also beheaded a woman police corporal and the corps members with machetes and sticks before setting the police station on fire.
Adowei Elliot, Ukeoma Ukewchuwu Chibuzor and Aknoyi Ibrahim Sule were of Batch A who were supposed to leave the Wailo NYSC Orientation Camp at the end of March 2011 but were not allowed to go home to proudly show off their NYSC colours to their parents and siblings because they were engaged as INEC ad hoc staff for the general elections.
Barely few hours after NYSC officials ferried the nine corpses away enroute their states of origin, another female corps member who also sustained serious injury during the same post-election violence at Dambam Local Government Area and was hospitalsed, gave up the ghost, thus bringing the death toll to 10.
Last week, Bauchi State Governor, Isa Yuguda had said the corps members were destined to experience what they got.” Yuguda who spoke to reporters at Government VIP Lodge shortly after casting his vote, recalled that he had a similar experience in Ibadan, Oyo State in 1979 when President Shehu Aliyu Shagari was declared winner of the election then.
Yuguda who condoled with parents and relatives of the deceased, however, absolved himself of any blame over the death of the corps members. .He blamed the NYSC authority for exposing the corps members to danger. He, however, did not say what his government will do for the families of the slain corps members and those who sustained injuries and lost their personal effects.
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