Parents of 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members abducted in Imo State have said their captors gave them 24 hours to raise N1 billion for the release of their children.
Gatekeepers News reports that the victims, who are graduates from Oyo State, were travelling from Ibadan to different NYSC orientation camps on Thursday when gunmen attacked two buses conveying them along the Owerri-Onitsha Expressway in Umunoha, Imo State. The Imo State Police Command said 10 people were rescued at the scene, while 20 others remained in captivity.
The parents disclosed the ransom demand on Saturday when they visited the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, at his residence in Bodija, Ibadan. They were accompanied by Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Abimbola, and the Aseyin of Iseyinland, Oba Sefiu Adeyeri.
According to the families, the kidnappers demanded N50 million for each of the 20 victims, bringing the total ransom to N1 billion. They said the abductors had been contacting them through the mobile phones of the kidnapped prospective corps members.
Speaking on behalf of the families, Alhaja Akande and Oyebola Akande said the abductors had threatened that the victims could be harmed if the ransom was not paid.
“They have been calling us since yesterday (Friday) with a demand for N50m ransom each,” the parents said. “They are threatening that anything untoward will happen to our children if we fail to heed their request.”
The families said they could not raise the amount and appealed to Ladoja and security authorities to intervene.
Ladoja assured the parents that efforts were being made to secure the victims’ safe release, saying the police were working to rescue them unharmed. The Oyo police commissioner also said he had contacted his counterpart in Imo, who assured him that the victims would be rescued.
Meanwhile, security agencies have intensified efforts to locate and rescue the abducted graduates. Imo State Police Commissioner Audu Garba Bosso said operatives had used drones to identify the suspected location where the victims were being held. However, the planned operation was reportedly delayed because intelligence indicated that improvised explosive devices (IEDs) had been planted around the camp.
Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Disu has also deployed Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Operations, Shehu Nadada, to Imo State to coordinate the search-and-rescue operation.
