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Twenty prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members abducted by gunmen in Imo State have allegedly been subjected to physical assault by their captors, as the kidnappers reduced their ransom demand from ₦50 million to ₦5 million per victim.
The development has heightened anxiety among the victims’ families as the reported deadline for payment of the ransom approaches.
One of the affected relatives, Alhaja Alimot Akande, whose 25-year-old sister, Kehinde Akande, is among the abducted graduates, said the victims had been beaten by the kidnappers since Saturday.
Akande described the situation as “horrible, scary and overwhelming,” appealing to the government to intensify efforts to rescue the victims.
According to her, the abductors initially demanded ₦50 million for each of the 20 victims but had reduced the amount to ₦5 million per person.
She said she could not confirm how much had been raised by the families, as she was not privy to arrangements between the abductors and other relatives.
Akande also alleged that the kidnappers were assaulting all the victims, including the female corps members.
“They are not sparing anybody. They are beating all of them,” she said.
She further disclosed that one of the abducted corps members had been allowed to speak with his father, but the kidnappers allegedly monitored the conversations to determine the family’s ability to raise the ransom.
Akande said the families had continued to rely on assurances from the police while making efforts to raise funds for the victims’ release.
Oyo Government Intervenes
Meanwhile, the Oyo State Government said it was working with the Imo State Government and security agencies to secure the release of the abducted graduates.
The state Commissioner for Information, Prince Dotun Oyelade, said the government remained actively involved despite the incident occurring outside Oyo State.
Oyelade said the state was sharing its experience from the recent abduction of students and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area with the Imo authorities.
He said the government would not disclose details of its strategy because of the sensitive nature of the rescue operation.
The commissioner, however, urged the Federal Government and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces to provide answers on the broader national security response to the incident.
He assured the families that the Oyo State Government would not abandon its citizens and would continue working towards their safe release.
How They Were Abducted
The 20 prospective corps members were reportedly abducted on Thursday while travelling from Ibadan to their respective NYSC orientation camps.
The graduates were travelling in two buses when gunmen allegedly attacked them along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in Umunoha, Imo State.
They were reportedly heading to orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states.
The abduction triggered concern among their families after the kidnappers initially demanded ₦50 million for each victim, amounting to ₦1 billion, and reportedly issued a 24-hour ultimatum.
The affected parents subsequently sought the intervention of the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, during a visit to his residence in Bodija, Ibadan.
The parents were accompanied by the Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Abimbola, and the Aseyin of Iseyinland, Oba Sefiu Adeyeri.
Ladoja assured the families that efforts were being made to secure the victims’ safe release, while the police commissioner said he had remained in contact with his Imo counterpart since the incident.
Abimbola said the Imo State Commissioner of Police had assured him that efforts were ongoing to rescue the victims unharmed.
