FRSC debunks viral claims of fatal NYSC crash in Gombe

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has denied reports that 16 prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members died in a road accident while travelling to Gombe State.

The claims, which circulated widely on social media, also suggested that two others were critically injured.

Janet Kassa, FRSC spokesperson in Gombe, told local media on Wednesday that there is no record of such an incident in the state. “Checks across our units and commands show no indication this happened in Gombe, or anywhere else,” she said, urging the public to disregard the viral posts.

NYSC officials in Gombe also dismissed the images circulating online, describing them as suspicious.

Adeyemi Federal University of Education in Ondo, from where the corps members were reportedly travelling, confirmed they were unaware of any accident involving their students.

The NYSC program requires new graduates to travel across Nigeria for mandatory national service, often over long distances. Fatal accidents involving prospective or serving corps members have occurred in the past, prompting repeated warnings against night travel and unsafe routes.

In January 2025, four people died when a 14-seater bus carrying corps members to an orientation camp in Ebonyi State collided with a parked truck.