Pandemonium As Female Corps Member Dies During Parade

Tragedy struck at the orientation camp of the National Youth Service Corps in Bauchi State when a Batch A corps member, Magdaline Yohana, died while participating in a parade.

The late Yohana, who died at the age of 28, was said to be asthmatic.

PUNCH correspondent gathered that although the incident happened on Monday, April 1, 2019, the management of the NYSC in the state had not yet made any official statement on it.

A source said the corps member, who hailed from Harshuwa, Kwaturu district, in the Kachia Local Government Area of Kaduna State, was also an orphan and the second graduate in her hometown.

She was said to have sponsored herself through school.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the deceased allegedly complained to an NYSC official at the Wailo orientation camp in the Ganjuwa Local Government Area, of being asthmatic, adding that she would not be able to participate in the regular parade.

However, her claim was allegedly dismissed by the official.

“The official told her that corps members were fond of giving flimsy excuses in order to avoid parade,” another corps member alleged.

She explained that the next day, the late Yohana took part in the morning meditation despite her earlier complaints.

The victim reportedly slumped and was rushed to the camp clinic, but her situation got worse and she was transferred to the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Teaching Hospital in Bauchi, where she died.

Journalists, who attended the closing ceremony of the three weeks orientation exercise, noted that the NYSC coordinator in the state, Afolayan James, in his speech did not acknowledge the death of the female corps member.

The deceased, according to the burial schedule obtained by our correspondent, was buried on April 5, 2019.

Efforts to get the NYSC Public Relations Officer, simply identified as Artu, to react to the incident, proved abortive.

Several calls put through to him could not go through, as his telephone number was switched off.