The Senate has ordered an investigation into the death of a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member, Comrade Etimbuk Daniel, at the scheme’s orientation camp in Enugu State, amid concerns over the quality of medical services available to corps members.

The resolution followed a motion of urgent public importance moved on Thursday by Senator Aniekan Bassey (APC, Akwa Ibom North-East), who said the Senate received news of Daniel’s death with shock.

Bassey described the deceased as a former Students’ Union Government president of Akwa Ibom State University who had proceeded for the mandatory national service.

According to the senator, reports indicated that Daniel died from complications arising from a minor headache after allegedly experiencing delays in receiving adequate medical attention at the camp clinic.

He said the incident raised serious concerns about the availability of qualified medical personnel, functional healthcare facilities and effective emergency referral systems at NYSC orientation camps.

Bassey stressed that the government had a constitutional responsibility to protect citizens’ welfare, adding that graduates mobilised for national service deserved access to adequate medical care.

He noted that Daniel’s death had plunged his family, the university community and Akwa Ibom State into mourning.

Seconding the motion, Senator Tahir Monguno (APC, Borno North) called for a thorough investigation to establish the circumstances surrounding the death and ensure accountability where necessary.

Adopting the motion, the Senate directed its committees on Police, Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, Youth Development, and Health to investigate the incident in collaboration with the police and the Department of State Services (DSS).

The investigation is expected to determine whether negligence contributed to Daniel’s death and establish the circumstances surrounding the medical attention he received at the camp.

Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, who presided over the session, commended Bassey for bringing the matter before the chamber and urged the relevant committees to conduct a thorough investigation.