Kidnappers have demanded N950m for the release of 19 prospective National Youth Service Corps members abducted while travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to their orientation camps in the South-East and South-South.
The victims were among passengers travelling in two buses operated by Uko Akwa Ibom Motors Nigeria Limited when gunmen attacked the vehicles along the Owerri-Onitsha Road, near Umunoha in the Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State, on Thursday, October 1, 2026.
The buses were conveying prospective corps members heading to orientation camps in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, and Bende, Abia State.
The Managing Director of the transport company, Isiah Akpan, told PUNCH that the abductors demanded N50m for each of the 19 victims, bringing the total ransom demand to N950m.
Akpan said the buses departed Bodija/Samonda Park in Ibadan on Wednesday but were delayed by heavy traffic around Benin, Edo State.
He said they eventually arrived in Onitsha, Anambra State, late that day and spent the night there before resuming the journey at about 5am the following morning.
According to him, the vehicles had just entered Imo State when the attackers emerged from the bush, blocked the road and forced the passengers into the bush.
“They blocked the two vehicles and took 19 passengers, all corps members, into the bush,” Akpan said.
The drivers reportedly escaped from the scene and alerted security personnel at a nearby checkpoint, leading to the deployment of security agencies for a search operation.
The Imo State Police Command said the attack occurred at about 6:30am and confirmed that NYSC members were among those abducted.
The police said two buses were recovered and 10 victims rescued following the intervention of security agencies.
However, the police had initially said they were still verifying the number of people abducted and would announce the figure after confirmation.
Tactical teams and other security agencies were subsequently deployed in a coordinated operation to locate the remaining victims and apprehend the attackers.
Meanwhile, the reported ransom demand has heightened concerns among relatives of the abducted graduates, with some families saying the kidnappers had contacted them directly.
One parent told reporters that the kidnappers used her son’s phone to contact the family and demanded N50m for his release.
Another parent, Mrs Oladosu, said her daughter, Greatness, was among those travelling to Uyo.
She said the kidnappers contacted the family through her daughter’s phone and allowed them to see her 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 said.
The mother of another victim, Akande Farouq, said her son, who was posted to Abia State, managed to send a brief message to the family’s WhatsApp group before his phone became unreachable.
The message, according to the report, contained one word, “Kidnappers!”
Security agencies are continuing efforts to locate the remaining victims and secure their safe release, as families await further information on their loved ones.
