A young woman named Joyce Abakumen from Plateau State has sadly passed away just a few weeks after finishing her National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) training in Jos, the state capital.

Her brother, Iorwuese Abakumen, shared the tragic news on Facebook, posting a photo of Joyce in her NYSC uniform. Joyce was currently serving in Jigawa State but had returned home for the Christmas holiday after completing her training camp in December.

Iorwuese explained that after returning to Plateau, Joyce began to feel unwell with a fever. Their mother suggested she come home to get medical care. Just a few days after arriving home, Joyce was taken to the hospital.

Doctors diagnosed her with typhoid fever, which had affected her blood. They performed a blood transfusion to help her, but unfortunately, her condition worsened, and she passed away shortly after.

Joyce was only 24 years old and had not yet started her actual service at her assigned location in Jos. Before this heartbreaking event, she had been living independently in the city.

Iorwuese mentioned that they plan to lay her to rest this coming week.

In a similar tragic event, another young woman named Azeezat Bahir, who had also recently completed her NYSC, was reported to have died last week Tuesday, according to updates from her family on social media.

Azeezat, a young woman who finished her national service in Katsina State in December 2025, sadly passed away recently. The news was first shared in a WhatsApp group for former service members and later spread to Facebook.

Yahaya Sambo, a member of that group, posted the announcement on the NYSC Online Community Facebook Page. He shared that a woman from the WhatsApp group was the first to inform everyone about Azeezat’s passing.

In his message, he expressed deep sadness, saying, “It is with a heavy heart that I share the news of our friend Azeezat’s passing last night, as confirmed by her family. She had just completed her national service less than five weeks ago. We pray that God gives her eternal peace and comfort to her family, friends, and colleagues.”

Attempts to reach Azeezat’s family directly were not successful, but her death was reported by various blogs and Facebook pages, including one called Nasarawa To The World.

Many people online expressed their shock and sorrow over her unexpected death, reflecting on how tragic it is for a young life to end so soon after finishing her service.

A post on the Nasarawa blog mourning her loss described how her life was cut short: “Just five weeks ago, she celebrated completing her national service filled with dreams for the future. Now, she is gone. It is heartbreaking to see promising young lives taken away so suddenly. Rest in peace, Zeeza. Life is fragile.”

Analysts have highlighted that incidents like this point to health issues that some young Nigerians may face during their mandatory national service, especially shortly after the demanding training period.