NYSC Camp: Soldiers, Man O’ War Sexually Harass Female Corpers
Welfare of corps members at the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), permanent orientation camp in Obruba Local Government Area of Cross River State, Nigeria, may be under siege as they are daily faced with harassment, intimidation and abuse of power from soldiers and Man O’ War deployed to the camp.
A source at the Obruba camp revealed that soldiers deployed to train and drill them possess ultimate power, commit unethical behaviour and get away with it. The source who has experienced sexual harassment from one of them, said the habit has continued in the camp without check.
In her words: “They (the soldiers and Man O’ War inclusive) do too many stupid and inhuman things here, and even indirectly abuse ladies. They punish corps member at will and dwell on what is not their business yet nobody is seeing it as wrong.”
Speaking further, the source disclosed that the Man O’ War boys in company of some male soldiers intrude the female hostel when naked, force the female corps members to jump out naked or ask them to dress on the corridor.
When asked if any report has been made to the Camp Commandant or the State Coordinator, she said: “There seems to be no room for it, they appear ultimate.”
Aside the sexual harassment and intrusion of privacy, our source further divulged that they do not escape being hit with rod from the military guys when serving punishment. According to her, “They carry rods around scaring corps members and also hit us with it” She further revealed how a female corps member was hit in her stomach during registration.
Facility at the camp remains worrisome as 100 corps members of the over 2,000 corps members in the camp struggle to sit at the lecture hall while the remaining corps members are forced to stand for the remaining compulsory hours during the Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development programme.
In addition, she disclosed that both toilets and bathrooms are not worthy of view and owing to that, corps members hardly have their bath. The source however call on the Director General of NYSC, Brig.-Gen. Johnson Olawumi, to come to their aid and take a pragmatic approach to issues concerning the welfare of corps members nationwide.
The reporter could not get feedback from the Camp commandant before this publication was released.
About the reporter
Ibrahim Olalekan is a media writer and specialist. His enormous task as journalist has earned him media space in some leading online newspapers. Aside being a seasoned journalist, Olalekan has keen interest in advocacy, rural development and politics. He has undergone intern with The Punch, Nation, and Sun Newspaper and was one time Political Editor of Happenings, Associate Editor of MassCope Magazine, Production Manager of UnilagSun, and has also featured in several other publications. Olalekan is a graduate of Mass Communication from the University of Lagos. Data source: www.dktnigeria.org . – See more at: http://ruralreporters.com/nigeria-dhs-data-shows-stagnant-contraceptive-prevalence-rate/ | Rural Reporters
