NYSC Kidnap: Mother Reveals Family Paid N6m Ransom to Secure Son’s Release

The mother of one of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members rescued after being abducted in Imo Statehas revealed that her family paid N6 million to secure her son’s release.

The woman, whose identity was not disclosed, recounted the family’s experience during her son’s captivity and described the emotional distress she went through before learning that he had been released.

The 20 prospective corps members and a civilian were reportedly rescued on October 7, 2026, after they were abducted along the Owerri-Onitsha Expressway in Imo State.

The victims were rescued at Amakohia Ubi Village during a joint operation involving security agencies.

According to the mother, the kidnappers initially demanded N50 million for each victim.

She said the family initially misunderstood the demand and thought the N50 million was meant to cover all the abducted corps members, before the kidnappers clarified that the amount was being demanded for each individual.

Speaking in an interview with NewsCentral Television on Wednesday, the woman said the families continued negotiating with the abductors in an effort to reduce the ransom.

She said the kidnappers eventually reduced the demand to N15 million, but the family told them they could only raise about N5.5 million.

According to her, the negotiations eventually resulted in the family paying N6 million for her son’s release.

“They said we should pay N15 million. We kept begging them that all we had was N5.5 million. They said no and insisted on N6 million. So, it’s that N6 million we paid,” she said.

The mother said the kidnappers subsequently instructed the families to send representatives to Ibadan, from where arrangements were made for the ransom to be taken to Imo State.

She said her husband and her son’s elder brother travelled as representatives of the family during the ransom negotiations.

According to her, the representatives were instructed to take the money to Imo State, where it was converted to dollars before being handed over.

Her elder son was reportedly among those who physically delivered the ransom.

After the payment was made, he contacted the family to confirm that the money had been delivered and that the abducted NYSC member had been released.

“We also spoke to the boy,” the mother recalled.

The woman also described the emotional and physical toll her son’s abduction had on her, saying she struggled to sleep and remained distressed throughout the period he was held captive.

“Since he was kidnapped, I have been stooling. I couldn’t sleep either,” she said.

She said the confirmation of her son’s release brought her considerable relief after days of uncertainty.

“But I was relieved when I heard they had been released. It was as though the chains all over me were loosened,” she added.

The Nigeria Police Force had confirmed the rescue of the 20 prospective corps members and the civilian at Amakohia Ubi Village on October 7.

The victims were reportedly travelling towards their NYSC orientation camp when they were abducted along the Owerri-Onitsha route.

The police said security agencies intensified search-and-rescue operations which eventually led to the victims being located and rescued.

The mother’s account of the ransom payment, however, differs from the Imo State Government’s position that no ransom was paid for the release of the victims.

“We negotiated from ₦50M to ₦5M for my son, but the kidnappers refused, demanded ₦15M, we later settled for ₦6M, they asked to change it to dollars. So we flew the money from Ibadan to Imo State, before they released him.”

— Mother of one of the NYSC victims speaks. https://t.co/9NblPesrMl pic.twitter.com/fZjcDqkOyE

— Trending Explained (@TrendingEx) October 8, 2026

The conflicting accounts have not been independently resolved, and the circumstances surrounding the alleged ransom payments remain subject to further clarification.