Kidnappers holding 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members abducted along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in Imo State have reduced their ransom demand from N50 million to N5 million per victim.
The reduction means the total ransom being demanded for the 20 abducted graduates has dropped from N1 billion to N100 million.
However, the development has failed to calm the families of the victims, as relatives disclosed that the abducted prospective corps members were allegedly being beaten by their captors.
One of the affected parents, Alhaja Alimot Akande, said the abductors had subjected the victims to physical assault since Friday.
Akande, who spoke through one of her daughters in Ibadan, Oyo State, on Sunday, appealed to the Federal Government and security agencies to intensify efforts to rescue the victims.
“The kidnappers had reduced their demand from the earlier N50m per victim to N5m each. They are still demanding N5m. They have come down to N5m each,” she said.
How 20 prospective corps members were abducted
The prospective corps members were travelling from Ibadan to NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states on Thursday when gunmen attacked the two buses conveying them.
The attack occurred around Umunoha on the Owerri-Onitsha Road in Imo State.
Some of the victims identified by their parents include Makinde Mary Oluwapelumi, Akande Kehinde Morufat, Abdul Temiloluwa Sarah, Adeniran Mariam Olulola, Adefioye Ayomide Isaac, Adewale Paul Iyanuoluwa and Oyede Esther Funmilayo.
The names were released during a visit by the parents to the private residence of the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, in Bodija, Ibadan North Local Government Area, on Saturday.
The parents also disputed reports that 10 passengers were rescued by security operatives after the attack.
According to them, those who escaped did so by fleeing into the bush rather than being rescued by security personnel.
The Managing Director of Uko Akwa Ibom Motors Nigeria Limited, Isiah Akpan, had earlier confirmed the initial N50 million ransom demand per victim.
Families fear for victims’ safety
The latest reduction in the ransom has not eased the anxiety among the victims’ families.
Akande said she could not confirm how much money had been raised by the families because she was not involved in the arrangements being made by the other parents.
She described the situation as “horrible, scary and overwhelming.”
Her greatest concern, she said, was the allegation that the kidnappers had begun beating the victims.
“Sir, we appeal to the government at all levels to please assist us in getting them rescued out of that place. They have started beating them since yesterday,” she said.
Akande also said female victims were not being spared.
“They are not sparing anybody. They are beating all of them,” she stated.
She disclosed that at least one of the abducted corps members had been allowed to speak with his father by telephone.
According to her, the kidnappers appeared to be using the communication to assess the family’s ability to raise the ransom.
She alleged that the abductors would allow the victim to speak whenever his father called because they believed the family could provide the money.
Police assure parents of rescue
The parents said they had been relying on assurances from the police while efforts continued to raise money demanded by the kidnappers.
The Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, had also assured the parents that their children would be rescued unharmed.
Ladoja said the police were working round the clock to secure their release.
The Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Abimbola, said he had contacted his Imo State counterpart and was assured that efforts were underway to rescue the victims safely.
“I had already contacted Imo State CP. We have been talking since the day of the incident, and he assured me that the victims would be rescued unhurt,” he said.
ADC calls for one-year NYSC suspension
Amid the abduction, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) called for the suspension of the NYSC scheme for one year.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said the temporary suspension would give the Federal Government time to reorganise the programme and strengthen security arrangements.
Abdullahi acknowledged the importance of NYSC to national unity but argued that the worsening security situation required urgent action.
He said the scheme, established in 1973 after the Nigerian Civil War, remained relevant but needed to be redesigned to reflect the current realities of the country.
Opposition parties demand immediate rescue
Several political parties have condemned the abduction and demanded the immediate and safe rescue of the prospective corps members.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) said the government had a constitutional responsibility to protect lives and property.
Its National Publicity Secretary, Osa Director, called for an overhaul of Nigeria’s security architecture.
The Labour Party, through its spokesperson, Ken Asogwa, described the incident as evidence of worsening insecurity and warned against abandoning the victims like other Nigerians currently being held by kidnappers.
The Social Democratic Party (SDP) described the incident as a “shame of a nation” and called for aggressive security measures to reverse the trend of abductions.
The Young Progressives Party (YPP) also condemned the kidnapping, saying the incident demonstrated the scale of Nigeria’s growing kidnapping economy.
The party called for intelligence-driven and preventive security measures instead of relying primarily on responses after kidnappings occur.
Peter Obi condemns abduction
Former Anambra State governor and presidential candidate Peter Obi condemned the abduction and called for the immediate rescue of the victims.
In a post on his verified X account, Obi said the incident demonstrated the worsening insecurity confronting Nigerians.
He stressed that protecting lives and property remained the government’s foremost responsibility.
Obi urged security agencies to rescue all the abducted prospective corps members and arrest those responsible.
LAUTECH confirms graduates among victims
The management of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, also expressed concern over the abduction after learning that at least three of its graduates were reportedly among the victims.
The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Razaq Kalilu, called for coordinated efforts by security agencies to secure their release.
The university expressed solidarity with the affected families and said the immediate priority was the safe return of its graduates and the other victims.
Sowore calls for NYSC scrapping
Presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, Omoyele Sowore, called for the immediate suspension and eventual scrapping of the NYSC scheme.
Sowore argued that young Nigerians should not be compelled to travel to distant locations to serve their country when their safety cannot be guaranteed.
He also proposed that, pending any final decision on the scheme, corps members should be allowed to serve within their states of origin.
Security agencies locate suspected kidnappers’ camp
Meanwhile, security agencies in Imo State said they were making efforts to rescue the abducted NYSC members.
The Imo State Police Command said its operatives were conducting an operation and gradually closing in on the victims.
The spokesperson for the command, DSP Henry Okoye, said the operation was ongoing.
The 34 Artillery Brigade, Owerri, also said security agencies were collaborating to secure the victims’ release.
Earlier, the Imo State Commissioner of Police, Audu Bosso, disclosed that security operatives had identified the location where the victims were allegedly being held.
However, the police reportedly delayed entering the suspected camp because intelligence indicated that the area had been mined with improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
Bosso said drones were used to locate the suspected camp after security operatives tracked the abductors into the bush.
According to him, security agencies were preparing to move into the area with heavy equipment, including bulldozers and armoured personnel carriers, to facilitate a safe rescue operation.
The development has heightened concerns over the safety of the 20 prospective corps members and increased pressure on the Federal Government and security agencies to secure their immediate and safe release.
