FUNAAB students demand clarity over Kogi-abducted corps members

The Students’ Union Government of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State, has called for a clear account of the National Youth Service Corps members abducted in Kogi State, following conflicting reports that some of the victims had been rescued.

The union said the uncertainty surrounding the reported rescue had heightened anxiety among families of the corps members, some of whom were still unable to establish the whereabouts of their relatives.

In a statement posted on X on Monday, the FUNAAB SUG acknowledged the reported intervention by security agencies but demanded verifiable details on the identities and number of victims who had allegedly regained their freedom.

The union noted that the Kogi State Police Command had announced the rescue of 11 people, while stating that efforts were continuing to locate others who might still be held by their abductors.

However, the SUG said relatives of some victims continued to insist that their loved ones remained in captivity.

One of those whose status remains a concern is Adedolapo, a FUNAAB graduate of the College of Animal Resources Management and Animal Production.

The union said reports of ransom demands had further increased the concerns of affected families, with relatives reportedly claiming that kidnappers demanded N20m for each victim still being held.

“If the 11 victims reported as rescued have indeed been safely released, we need clear confirmation. We need to see them. We need to know their names, their actual number, and receive verifiable evidence of their safe return,” the union said.

It urged the police, NYSC, other relevant authorities and media organisations reporting the incident to verify the status of each abducted corps member and provide families with accurate information.

The union stressed that it would continue to raise the issue until the whereabouts of all the victims were established.

The demand followed an emotional appeal by the sister of one of the abducted corps members, identified as Chidinma, who disputed reports that some of the victims had been rescued.

Chidinma alleged that her sister and other corps members were still being held in a forest and appealed to the Federal Government and security agencies to intensify efforts to secure their release.

She said the family was already grieving the death of their mother months earlier and could not withstand another tragedy.

According to her, her sister had travelled to Bayelsa State for the NYSC orientation programme and was later posted to Niger State for her primary assignment.

She said the corps member was returning to Abuja from Bayelsa when the vehicle conveying her and other corps members was attacked.

The driver was reportedly killed while the passengers were taken into the bush by the attackers.

However, the Kogi State Police Command has maintained that 11 victims were rescued following the attack.

The command said the incident occurred along the Aloma-Egane Expressway in Ofu Local Government Area on Wednesday when armed men emerged from the bush and blocked two buses travelling in opposite directions.

According to the police, a joint security team led by the Divisional Police Officer in Ofu responded to a distress call and recovered two abandoned vehicles at the scene.

The police said the subsequent bush-combing operation resulted in the rescue of 11 people, including the drivers of the two buses.

The command’s spokesperson, Salisu Oyiza Afusat, said preliminary debriefing showed that most of those rescued were NYSC members travelling from Bayelsa to Abuja.

She said the rescued victims were debriefed and later allowed to proceed with their journey after necessary procedures were completed.

Afusat added that security personnel were still searching the surrounding forest for any other victims who might remain in captivity and pursuing the perpetrators.

The police assured the public that operational and intelligence resources were being deployed to secure the area and facilitate the recovery of any remaining victims.

The conflicting accounts have left families seeking definitive confirmation on whether their relatives are among those rescued or remain in captivity.