NYSC abduction: Kidnappers demand N950m for 19 corps members

Families of 19 prospective National Youth Service Corps members abducted in Imo State have been thrown into panic after their captors reportedly demanded N50m for each victim, bringing the total ransom demand to N950m.

The victims were travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom when gunmen attacked two buses along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in the Umunoha area of Imo State on Thursday.

The Managing Director of Uko Akwa Ibom Motors Nigeria Limited, Isiah Akpan, whose company owns the buses, confirmed the incident on Friday.

According to him, the buses left Bodija/Samonda Park in Ibadan on Wednesday but were delayed by traffic around Benin, Edo State, before reaching Onitsha, Anambra State, later that day.

He said the drivers decided to spend the night in Oba because of the condition of the road and resumed the journey around 5am on Thursday.

Akpan said the buses had barely entered Imo State when gunmen emerged from the bush and blocked their path.

“They blocked the two vehicles and took 19 passengers, all corps members, into the bush,” he said.

The drivers reportedly escaped and alerted security personnel at a nearby checkpoint, prompting the police and military to launch a search for the abducted passengers.

Akpan, however, said the operation was initially delayed after some villagers allegedly prevented security personnel from moving the abandoned buses from the scene.

The buses were eventually left at the location, with the passengers’ belongings still inside.

The Imo State Police Command said on Thursday night that 10 victims had been rescued.

The command’s spokesperson, Henry Okoye, said security agencies were conducting a coordinated operation to locate the remaining victims, although he could not immediately confirm whether the rescued persons were among the abducted corps members.

Meanwhile, the reported ransom demand has heightened fears among the victims’ families.

A parent, who requested anonymity, said the kidnappers contacted her using her son’s phone and demanded N50m for his release.

“The kidnappers called with my son’s phone this morning (Friday) and demanded N50m for his release. The N50m is for only my son,” she said.

Another parent, Mrs Oladosu, said her daughter, Greatness, who was travelling to Uyo, was among those abducted.

She said the kidnappers briefly contacted the family through her daughter’s phone, allowing relatives to see Greatness and other victims during a video call.

“They used my daughter’s number to call us. We saw her and other corps members sitting on the ground in the bush, crying. Where will petty traders get N50m? They are just going to serve Nigeria; why this punishment?” she lamented.

The mother of another victim, Akande Farouq, also said her son, who was posted to Abia State, managed to send a distress message to the family WhatsApp group before his phone became unreachable.

Farouq reportedly sent the one-word message, “Kidnappers!” before the line went dead.

A manifest from the two affected buses contained 30 passengers, with 15 listed on each vehicle. Two other buses belonging to the same company and travelling towards Abia State reportedly escaped the attack.

The abducted passengers included Akande Kehinde, Olaleye Mary, Oladosu Greatness, Obafunsho Rhoda, Abdulrof Anifat, Esther Oyede, Hassan Usman, Ayomide Isa, Mary Makinde, Azeez Adejoke and Abdulrazaq Anifat.

Security agencies are continuing efforts to locate the remaining victims and apprehend the abductors.