Saturday, 23 April 2011 00:00 From John Akubo (Dutse) and Seye Olumide (Lagos) News - National

UNLESS remedial steps are taken, the governorship and House of Assembly election in Jigawa State may be affected by the shortage of ad-hoc officials as some members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) have abandoned their primary assignments.

Corps members serving in Hadejia Local Council had sent a Save Our Souls (SOS) message to the NYSC coordinator in the state following threats to their lives during post- election violence in the area last Monday.

Consequently, the state NYSC’s Coordinator, Mr. Baba Ahmed, has withdrawn the 350 corps members from the area due to insecurity.

Ahmed told The Guardian yesterday in Dutse that the corps members were withdrawn from their places of primary assignments because of threats to their lives by hoodlums in the area.

He said: “They called me and the director-general, asking us to take them from Hadejia because their lives were not secured.

“They also reported to us that the irate youths stormed the police station threatening them where they were taking refuge. As I am talking to you now, I have brought all the corps members in the area to state capital for their safety.”

He said that the NYSC had informed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that the corps members in Hadejia would not participate in the forthcoming governorship and House of Assembly election.

Hadejia, Mallamadori, and Jahun were among the towns that experienced post-election violence in the state, where many churches were raised down and several persons displaced.

Meanwhile, Governor of Oyo State, Adebayo Alao- Akala, has promised adequate protection for INEC ad-hoc personnel, NYSC members during the governorship election on Tuesday.

Alao-Akala also urged parents of the corps members not to loose sleep over the safety of their children in the state “because the government will ensure the necessary protection and non-violent atmosphere during the election.“

In a statement yesterday, the governor’s spokesman, Dotun Oyelade, said special arrangements had been made to shield them from danger during the exercise.