NYSC Kidnap Victims Offered Southwest Postings After Families Allegedly Paid N6m Ransom

The 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members abducted in Imo State have reportedly been allowed to choose any of the six South-West states for their national service after their release, while their families say they paid N6m per person to secure their freedom.

A parent of one of the survivors, who spoke to Saturday PUNCH on Friday on condition of anonymity, said the graduates had been given the option of choosing where they would continue their service within the South-West.

“They have been given the opportunity to choose states in the South-West to continue their service with the current batch,” the parent said.

However, confirmation of the reported posting arrangement remained outstanding as of press time. Attempts to reach the NYSC spokesperson, Caroline Embu, for comments were unsuccessful.

The parent also disclosed that the families eventually paid N6m for each captive, despite the kidnappers initially demanding a much higher amount.

“As for the ransom, we eventually paid N6m each, but we wanted them freed before disclosing that,” the parent said.

A relative of another survivor, identified as Joy Zainab, also confirmed that money was raised to meet the demand, with family members and well-wishers contributing towards the payment.

In a message expressing gratitude after the victim returned home, she said the released graduate was safe and thanked those who prayed, shared information about the abduction and provided financial assistance.

“Alhamdulillah, he has been released and is safe with us at home,” she said.

The accounts are consistent with an earlier disclosure by Alirat Wahab, the mother of another victim, who said the kidnappers initially demanded N50m for each captive before eventually agreeing to accept N6m.

Speaking in an interview with News Central Television, Wahab said the family pleaded with the abductors to reduce the amount, but their initial request was rejected.

“Initially, they asked us to pay N50m per head. We asked whether the amount was for all of them, but they insisted it was per person, so we started begging them to take N500,000, but they refused,” she said.

According to Wahab, the kidnappers later reduced the demand to N15m before agreeing to N6m following further appeals from the family.

She said relatives and other well-meaning Nigerians contributed towards raising the money. The kidnappers reportedly instructed the families to send representatives to Ibadan, Oyo State, where her husband and son met an intermediary.

The money was subsequently transferred into a designated account. The representatives were then allegedly instructed to convert the funds into US dollars upon arriving in Imo State.

The 20 prospective corps members were abducted on October 1 along the Owerri-Onitsha Road, near Umunoha in the Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State. They were travelling in two commercial buses operated by Uko Akwa Ibom Motors and were reportedly heading to Abia and Akwa Ibom states.

The abductors subsequently demanded N50m per graduate.

On Wednesday, the Imo State Police Command announced that the victims had been rescued at Amakohia Ubi Village in the Owerri West Local Government Area of the state.

The families, however, disputed the police account, insisting that ransom payments were made to secure the graduates’ release. Their claims differ from the position maintained by security officials, who attributed the outcome to sustained search-and-rescue operations.

The Imo State Commissioner of Police, Audu Bosso, said on Thursday that he was unaware of any ransom payment and maintained that pressure from security operations forced the kidnappers to release the captives.

The Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Anietie Iniedu, similarly said the graduates were rescued through joint operations involving security agencies.

Following their release, the prospective corps members were taken to the Department of State Services hospital in Owerri for medical evaluation, according to the police.

The Director-General of the NYSC, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, also visited the survivors alongside Bosso and the Commander of the 34 Artillery Brigade.

The incident has taken a physical and emotional toll on some of the victims and their relatives. The mother of another survivor disclosed that she and her daughter had been admitted to hospital following the ordeal.

“Both of us are in the hospital. We are receiving drips and treatment. My blood pressure shot up over this incident,” she said.

One of the released graduates, who spoke to Saturday PUNCH by telephone, declined to give details of the experience but expressed gratitude for surviving the ordeal.

“I don’t want to remember it. I just want to give the glory to God. I thank God that I am alive,” the survivor said.

The abduction has renewed concerns about the safety of young graduates travelling across the country to attend NYSC orientation camps, particularly amid reports of similar incidents involving prospective and serving corps members.

On August 26, 15 prospective corps members travelling from Bayelsa State to Abuja were abducted along the Aloma-Egane Expressway in the Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State. Security operatives later rescued them from Egume Forest.

In another incident in May, Abuja-based lawyer and serving corps member Eunice Ameh was abducted in Maitama, Abuja, but regained her freedom after a ransom was reportedly paid.

Findings cited by Saturday PUNCH indicated that more than 20 corps members had been killed in different attacks between 2015 and 2026, adding to concerns over the risks associated with the national service scheme.

The repeated incidents have also intensified calls for the government to reconsider the NYSC programme, which was established in 1973 under Decree No. 24 during the administration of former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon.

The scheme was introduced partly to promote national reconciliation and integration after the Nigerian Civil War by deploying graduates to states other than their states of origin.

In June 2026, the Federal Executive Council approved a package of reforms intended to improve the programme, including risk-sensitive deployment, a technology-driven call-up process and an extension of the orientation programme from three weeks to six weeks.

The reforms also included specialised career streams designed to align corps members’ training and assignments with their qualifications and professional interests.

However, the latest abduction has raised questions about how the proposed safety measures will protect graduates travelling long distances to orientation camps and those posted to areas affected by security threats.

A former corps member, Veronica Oloko, called for the scheme to be scrapped, arguing that young graduates should not be exposed to serious security risks while undertaking national service.

She suggested that if the government retained the programme, it should organise designated transport arrangements for corps members, with security personnel accompanying them on journeys to their states of deployment.

“But then, this is also a risk because even our soldiers are being attacked in their camps. When the government is able to fight insurgency, then they can return it. I won’t even allow my child to go,” she said.

Another parent, Akeem Kareem, also supported calls to discontinue the programme, citing widespread anxiety among families over the safety of graduates posted outside their home regions.

The competing accounts of how the 20 graduates regained their freedom, alongside the reported ransom payments and proposed change of service locations, have placed renewed attention on the government’s responsibility to protect prospective corps members throughout their mobilisation and deployment.