Members of the House of Representatives on Thursday expressed anger over the rape and murder of a youth corps member, Grace Adie Ushang in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, last month.
They, however, summoned the Director General of the National Youth Service Corps, Maharazu Tsiga, to the House to explain the incident. They also asked the Inspector General of Police, Ogbonna Onovo to identify and arrest the perpetrators of the act.
The lawmakers also agreed that Miss Ushang should be given a posthumous award because she died serving her nation.
Graduates of Nigeria's tertiary institutions are obliged to spend a year on national service.
Paul Adah (PDP, Cross River) had, in a motion, said Miss Ushang was serving with El-Kanemi College of Business Administration on September 27. He said the deceased left the Corpers' Lodge, around Customs area of the state capital, at about 6.30 pm on the day of her death in search of food within the neighbourhood - only for her corpse to be found beside a nearby river at about 8.00 pm.
Mr Adah said the windy weather in Maiduguri that day provided a cover for Miss Ushang's assailants to assault and murder her in cold blood.
The lawmaker added that he was worried that the assailants attacked her on ground that she was wearing a Khaki Trouser, the official uniform of youth corps members which they considered as indecent dressing.
He also said that the medical report confirmed that Miss Ushang was physically assaulted, thereby sustaining grievous injury which resulted in her death.
The lawmaker, who represents the dead youth corper's constituency in Cross Rivers State, said when the incident took place, her colleagues planned a reprisal attack but were prevailed upon not to do so to avoid chaos.
He said youth corps members should be given heroic treatment anywhere they serve, stressing that the people of Obudu where Miss Ushang hailed from do so always.
Mr Adah urged the House to condemn the act, saying it is a crime against humanity. He also called on the security agencies to "identify and arrest the perpetrators of this devilish act, by making them to face the wrath of the law with a view to serving as a deterrent to others; commiserate with the people of Cross River; and call on the NYSC to adequately compensate the family of the deceased as she died serving her nation." Mohammed Ndume (ANPP, Borno) said he regretted the incident, but called for the deletion of the issue of weather from the motion since, according to him, it is not peculiar to Borno State. His request was overwhelmingly rejected.
Unanimous condemnation
Saadatu Sani (PDP, Kaduna) condemned the incident and asked that women be protected adequately. She also sought an amendment to the motion, asking that the NYSC director should appear before the joint committees of Women Affairs and Human Rights.
Patrick Obahiagbon (PDP, Edo) described the incident as unfortunate. He said it happened when there was a national debate over the continued desirability and viability of the youth scheme. Mr Obahiagbon called for the amendment of the motion to read "we note with outrage the assault and murder of the youth corps member." Chinyere Igwe (PDP, Rivers) insisted that the perpetrators of the act must be brought to book. The House rejected an amendment that youth corps uniform should be designed in such a way that its takes into consideration the interest of various groups like religion and culture.
The motion was unanimously adopted when the Speaker, Dimeji Bankole put it to vote.


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