Kidnappers Slash Ransom for Abducted NYSC Members to ₦5m Each as Parents Raise Alarm Over Beatings

Kidnappers holding prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members abducted in Imo State have reportedly reduced their ransom demand from ₦50 million to ₦5 million per victim, bringing the total demand to ₦100 million.

The development came as families of the abducted graduates raised fresh concerns over their safety, alleging that the captives were being beaten by their abductors.

The victims were travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states when gunmen attacked two buses along the Owerri-Onitsha Road around Umunoha in Imo State on Thursday, October 1.

While earlier reports put the number of abducted prospective corps members at 19, subsequent reports by the families and police have referred to 20 victims. The ransom figure reported by the families is based on 20 victims.

One of the affected parents, Alhaja Alimot Akande, said on Sunday that the kidnappers had reduced their demand but that the development had not eased the families’ concerns because the victims remained in captivity.

“They are still demanding N5 million. They have come down to N5 million each,” Akande said.

She said the families were also distressed by reports that the captors had started physically assaulting 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.

Asked whether the female victims were also being assaulted, Akande said the kidnappers were not making exceptions.

“They are not sparing anybody. They are beating all of them,” she said.

The parent said one of the abducted graduates had been allowed to communicate with his father through a telephone, but alleged that the kidnappers were using the calls to assess the family’s ability to raise the ransom.

She said the abductors would alert the victim whenever his father’s call came in and allow him to speak with him.

Akande said she could not confirm how much money the families had raised because she was not involved in the arrangements between the kidnappers and the other parents.

The families have been relying on assurances from security agencies as efforts continue to secure the victims’ release.

The incident has generated renewed calls for government intervention, particularly as security agencies say they have located the suspected area where the victims are being held.

The Imo State Commissioner of Police, Audu Garba Bosso, previously disclosed that drone surveillance helped security operatives identify the suspected camp after they tracked the abductors into the bush.

However, he said security forces had delayed entering the location because intelligence indicated that the area had been planted with improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

The police said preparations were underway to advance into the area with heavy equipment, including bulldozers and armoured personnel carriers, in an effort to rescue the victims safely.

The Imo State Police Command and the 34 Artillery Brigade, Owerri, said on Sunday that rescue efforts were continuing.

Police spokesperson DSP Henry Okoye said security operatives were conducting an operation and gradually closing in on the victims.

The development has also prompted calls for a review of the NYSC scheme.

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) called for the temporary suspension of the programme for one year, saying the government should use the period to reorganise the scheme and strengthen measures to protect corps members.

ADC National Publicity Secretary Bolaji Abdullahi said the NYSC remained important to national unity but argued that the current security situation required a temporary review of its operations.

“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 also criticised the Federal Government’s handling of insecurity and questioned how the prospective corps members could have been intercepted despite known security concerns along the route.

Other opposition parties and political groups, including the Labour Party, Social Democratic Party, Young Progressives Party and African Action Congress, also condemned the abduction and called for the immediate rescue of the victims.

Former Anambra State governor Peter Obi called for the safe rescue of the abducted graduates, saying protecting lives and property remained a fundamental responsibility of government.

“I call for the immediate and safe rescue of all the abducted corps members and the arrest of those responsible,” Obi said in a post on X.

The management of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, also expressed concern after learning that at least some of its graduates were among the abducted travellers.

The university’s Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Razaq Kalilu, called for coordinated efforts to secure the victims’ release and expressed solidarity with their families.

The Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, had earlier assured the affected parents that efforts were being made to secure their children’s release.

The Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Abimbola, also said he had been in contact with his Imo counterpart over the incident.

The Oyo State Government said on Sunday that it was working with the Imo State Government and relevant security agencies to secure the safe release of the abducted prospective corps members.

As of the latest reports, the victims remained in captivity while security agencies continued efforts to reach the suspected camp and secure their release. The allegations that the captives are being beaten were made by their relatives and had not been independently verified by security authorities.