Kidnappers holding 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps members abducted along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in Imo State have reportedly reduced their ransom demand from N1bn to N100m.
According to The PUNCH, the abductors initially demanded N50m for each of the victims but have now lowered the amount to N5m per person, according to one of the affected families.
The victims were travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to their various NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states when gunmen attacked the two buses around Umunoha on Thursday.
A parent of one of the abducted graduates, Alhaja Alimot Akande, said the reduction in the ransom had not eased the families’ concerns, particularly following reports that the captives were being assaulted.
“The kidnappers have reduced their demand from the earlier N50m per victim to N5m each. They are still demanding N5m,” she said.
Akande, who spoke through her daughter in Ibadan on Sunday, appealed to the Federal Government and security agencies to intensify efforts to secure the victims’ release.
She alleged that the abductors had been physically assaulting the captives, including the female victims.
“They are not sparing anybody. They are beating all of them,” she said.
The parent said the families remained uncertain about how much had been raised towards the ransom, noting that she was not aware of the individual arrangements being made by the other affected families.
Describing the situation as “horrible, scary and overwhelming,” Akande said the families were relying on assurances from the police while waiting for the victims to be rescued.
“The police are telling us to still be buying time. We are still looking for the money. Depending, they will see them rescued,” she said.
She further disclosed that one of the captives had been permitted to speak with his father, but alleged that the kidnappers appeared to be using the communication to determine whether the family could meet their financial demands.
Meanwhile, the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, has assured the victims’ parents that efforts were being made to secure their safe return.
“I want to assure that your children would be rescued unharmed. The police are working round the clock to secure their rescue. Don’t worry yourself, the police are up to the task, and nothing would happen to your children,” Ladoja said.
The Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Abimbola, also said he had been in contact with the Imo State Police Command over the incident.
“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,” Abimbola said.
Parties demand NYSC reform
The abduction has triggered renewed calls for a review of the NYSC scheme amid concerns over the safety of corps members and prospective participants.
The African Democratic Congress called for a one-year suspension of the scheme to enable the Federal Government to reorganise it and strengthen security arrangements.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, however, said the scheme remained important to national integration.
“I think the NYSC is still relevant. But I think we need to respond to the current situation of insecurity in the country,” Abdullahi said.
He added, “We think this is the time to suspend it for at least one year to give room for proper reorganisation, in such a way that it will protect the young people and also make the scheme worthwhile for them.”
The Labour Party and other opposition groups also condemned the abduction and urged the Federal Government to prioritise the immediate rescue of the victims.
The Labour Party spokesperson, Ken Asogwa, warned against allowing the abducted graduates to become another forgotten group of victims.
“I hope that Nigeria will not also abandon these innocent corps members whose only offence was enrolment into the mandatory NYSC scheme,” he said.
The Young Progressives Party similarly described the incident as evidence of the worsening security situation, calling for intelligence-led measures to prevent kidnappings rather than responding only after attacks occur.
The party also said the NYSC required comprehensive reform to reflect Nigeria’s current security and economic realities.
Obi, Sowore, others condemn abduction
Former Anambra State governor and presidential candidate Peter Obi condemned the abduction, describing it as another indication of the deteriorating security situation in the country.
In a statement shared on his verified X account, Obi said protecting citizens remained the government’s primary responsibility.
“I call for the immediate and safe rescue of all the abducted corps members and the arrest of those responsible,” he said.
He added that Nigerians should be able to travel, work and participate in national service without fear of kidnapping.
The presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, Omoyele Sowore, went further, calling for the suspension and eventual scrapping of the NYSC.
“You cannot force young Nigerians to ‘serve their fatherland’ when the same country cannot guarantee their safety while they travel to their places of service,” Sowore said.
He proposed that corps members should, in the interim, be allowed to serve within their states of origin.
The Vice-Chancellor of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Prof. Razaq Kalilu, also expressed concern over the abduction, noting that at least three graduates of the institution were reportedly among the victims.
“Our immediate and overriding concern is their safety and safe return to their families,” Kalilu said.
The university called for coordinated action by security agencies to secure the release of the victims.
Security agencies intensify rescue efforts
The Imo State Police Command and the 34 Artillery Brigade, Owerri, have said efforts are ongoing to locate the abducted prospective corps members and secure their release.
The development has heightened pressure on security agencies and the Federal Government to act swiftly, as the victims’ families continue to await their safe return.
