The family of a recently discharged National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member, identified as Dapo, has appealed to the Federal Government and security agencies to rescue him and nine other people reportedly abducted along the Ijebu-Ode-Ibadan Road in Ogun State.
The family said the kidnappers initially demanded ₦20 million for the victims’ release before increasing the ransom to ₦25 million, giving them a 24-hour deadline to make payment.
Dapo’s sister, Abigeal, disclosed this in an interview with The PUNCH on Thursday, explaining that her brother was travelling from Edo State to Ibadan on Tuesday when the incident occurred.
According to her, Dapo had completed his NYSC programme the previous week after serving in Edo State and was returning home when he sent his family videos showing traffic along the route.
She said the family became worried when he stopped responding to calls and messages.
The situation reportedly became clearer around 7pm on Tuesday when one of the passengers escaped and contacted another member of the family to report that the vehicle had been attacked and its occupants abducted.
Abigeal said the family was informed that Dapo and nine other passengers had been taken away by the attackers.
She explained that police officers and local vigilantes subsequently entered the surrounding bush in search of the victims but returned without locating them.
The family later visited the Ijebu-Ode Police Station, where they were asked to remain calm while security operatives continued their efforts.
However, the situation took another turn when the kidnappers reportedly contacted the family using Dapo’s phone.
Abigeal said they briefly heard her brother’s voice before the abductors took the phone and demanded ₦20 million for the victims’ release.
She said the kidnappers called again around 6:59pm on Wednesday, increasing their demand to ₦25 million and setting a deadline for Thursday.
“We were still begging. They said, ‘Shebi na cry you wan cry, they cry, they go.’ Then they ended the call and said the deadline was today,” she recounted.
The family said the abducted passengers included other corps members and that relatives of some of the victims were also making efforts to raise money following the ransom demand.
Abigeal disclosed that the vehicle and passengers’ belongings had been recovered and taken to the police station. Dapo’s luggage was subsequently handed over to the family, but he and the other nine passengers remained in captivity.
She also appealed for urgent government intervention, saying the family did not have the financial capacity to meet the kidnappers’ demand.
“They have been in the bush since Tuesday. They have already spent two nights with the kidnappers, and we don’t even have the ₦25m to raise. Please, we are asking the government to help us. We need our brother back, and we need the other victims back,” she said.
Escaped passenger recounts attack
A passenger who reportedly escaped from the incident also described how the abduction happened in a voice note shared with the newspaper.
He said the bus was travelling towards Ibadan after passing through Ijebu-Ode when the driver suddenly turned onto a bush path.
According to him, the passengers became alarmed as the vehicle moved deeper into the bush, before they encountered armed men who opened fire.
The survivor alleged that one person was shot during the attack, while he managed to hide and eventually escape as the other passengers were taken away.
“Before we knew what was happening, we saw Fulani people. They attacked us and repeatedly fired their guns. Right there, they shot someone, but I just hid inside,” he said.
The survivor’s account also suggested that some passengers left their phones inside the recovered vehicle during the attack.
Police confirm abduction but dispute NYSC victims’ claims
When contacted on Thursday, the spokesperson for the Ogun State Police Command, DSP Oluseyi Babaseyi, confirmed that some people had been abducted along the Ogun corridor of the Ijebu-Ode–Ibadan Road.
However, he disputed reports that the victims were NYSC members.
“There was no abduction of 10 corps members. I can confirm that no corps member was abducted. Some persons were abducted, and we are on it,” Babaseyi said.
The police spokesperson did not provide further details about the identities of the abducted persons or the progress of the rescue operation in the account published by the newspaper.
The conflicting accounts have left questions about the identities and number of victims, particularly as the family insists that Dapo and other corps members are among those being held.
The families are appealing for urgent intervention from security agencies to secure the safe return of the abducted passengers.
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