Parents of the 20 prospective members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) rescued after seven days in captivity in Imo State say the money contributed by their families as ransom has been returned.
Gatekeepers News reports that Obasanjo and Alirat Wahab, parents of one of the rescued corps members, said the families had received refunds of the money raised to secure their children’s release.
Speaking in a follow-up interview with News Central Television, Obasanjo said he could not confirm whether the representatives sent by the families eventually paid the ransom to the kidnappers. He added that the money contributed by the families, including the N6 million his family reportedly paid, had been returned.
According to him, representatives from three families were selected to handle the ransom arrangement after the kidnappers requested that people be sent to negotiate for the victims’ release.
Wahab also confirmed that the money was returned to the representatives who had gone on behalf of the families, adding that every parent had received their contribution back.
The development follows reports that the abductors initially demanded N1 billion for the release of the 20 prospective corps members before reducing the amount to N5 million per person, bringing the total demand to N100 million.
One of the victims’ mothers had earlier told News Central that her family paid N6 million to secure her son’s freedom after the kidnappers reduced their initial demand.
The prospective corps members were abducted on October 1, when gunmen attacked two 18-seater buses conveying passengers from Ibadan, Oyo State, towards Anambra State along the Owerri-Onitsha expressway in Imo State.
After the abduction, the police said security operatives began search-and-rescue operations to locate the victims and apprehend the attackers.
On October 7, the Nigeria Police Force announced that the 20 victims had been rescued in Amakohia Ubi village, Imo State, during a joint operation involving the police, the Department of State Services (DSS) and the military.
The rescued victims were subsequently reunited with their families in Ibadan, Oyo State.
Meanwhile, the Imo State Commissioner of Police, Audu Bosso, said he was not aware of any ransom payment, maintaining that the victims’ release followed pressure from security operatives. He also said operations were ongoing to track down and arrest the kidnappers.
The circumstances surrounding the reported refund remain unclear, as the parents did not identify who returned the money or confirm whether the ransom had ultimately been paid to the abductors.
