Abductors who seized prospective National Youth Service Corps members travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to their orientation camps in the South-East and South-South have reportedly demanded N950 million for their release.
The victims were travelling in two buses when gunmen attacked them along the Owerri-Onitsha Road near Umunoha, Imo State, on Thursday.
The Managing Director of Uko Akwa Ibom Motors Nigeria Limited, Isiah Akpan, confirmed the incident to Saturday PUNCH, saying the attackers demanded N50 million for each of the 19 victims.
According to Akpan, the buses, operated by his company, were conveying prospective corps members to orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states. Saturday PUNCH reported that some of the victims’ families had been contacted by the abductors and asked to pay N50 million for each person.
The incident has triggered anxiety among the victims’ families as security agencies continue efforts to locate those still in captivity.
Akpan said the two buses left Bodija/Samonda Park in Ibadan on Wednesday but were delayed by traffic around Benin, Edo State, before eventually reaching Onitsha, Anambra State.
He said the drivers and passengers were forced to spend the night in Oba because of the condition of the road and resumed their journey at about 5am on Thursday.
According to him, the gunmen emerged from the bush shortly after the buses entered Imo State, blocked both vehicles and took the passengers into the bush.
The drivers reportedly escaped and alerted security personnel at a nearby checkpoint, prompting the police and military to launch a search operation.
Akpan, however, said the operation was initially hampered when some villagers allegedly prevented security personnel from moving the abandoned buses from the scene.
The Imo State Police Command subsequently confirmed that 10 victims had been rescued following the attack. Police spokesman Henry Okoye said tactical teams and other security agencies were conducting coordinated search-and-rescue operations, while the exact number of people abducted was initially still being verified.
A parent of one of the victims, who asked not to be named for security reasons, said the abductors contacted her through her son’s phone and demanded N50 million for his release.
Another mother, Mrs Oladosu, said the kidnappers briefly contacted her family through her daughter Greatness’ phone.
She said the family was able to see Greatness and other victims during a video call.
“They used my daughter’s number to call us. We saw her and other corps members sitting on the ground in the bush, crying. Where will petty traders get N50m? They are just going to serve Nigeria; why this punishment?” she lamented.
Mrs Alimotu Akanke, the mother of another victim, Akande Farouq, said her son, who was posted to Abia State, managed to send the word “Kidnappers!” to the family WhatsApp group before his phone line went dead.
A manifest from the two affected vehicles listed 30 passengers, 15 in each bus, although the reported number of abducted persons remained subject to confirmation by the police at the time of the initial response.
Friends of some of the abducted prospective corps members have also launched social media campaigns seeking support for their safe release.
One of the victims was identified as Precious Oladipupo, a graduate of Obafemi Awolowo University.
Some social media users also appealed for assistance for Wahab Ayandare and Oyindamola Adeoye, who were reportedly among those abducted.
The Oyo State Government has condemned the abduction and described it as distressing and reprehensible.
The Commissioner for Information, Dotun Oyelade, said the state government was communicating with relevant security agencies, the Imo State Government and NYSC leadership to ensure a coordinated response.
Oyelade said Governor Seyi Makinde had directed that all necessary resources be deployed to secure the safe return of the victims.
“We are fully committed to securing the safe release of our children and will stop at nothing to ensure that they are reunited with their families without harm,” the statement said.
The government urged affected families to remain calm and called on security agencies to intensify efforts to rescue the victims and apprehend the perpetrators.
The latest incident has renewed concerns over the safety of prospective corps members travelling across states for their orientation programmes.
Security analyst Chidi Omeje said criminal networks could exploit the predictable movement of young graduates during NYSC mobilisation periods.
He urged the Federal Government and NYSC to strengthen security arrangements for corps members travelling through known kidnapping corridors.
Security expert Olalekan Jackson-Ojo also called for a review of deployment arrangements, suggesting that corps members could be allowed to serve within their states or regions rather than being sent to areas considered high-risk.
Educationist Dele Olapeju similarly said repeated kidnappings could undermine public confidence in the NYSC scheme, particularly as parents become increasingly concerned about the safety of their children.
The latest incident comes after a series of attacks involving prospective corps members and corps members travelling between states. In August, 15 prospective corps members were abducted along the Aloma-Egane Expressway in Kogi State before security forces subsequently rescued them.
The Imo State Police Command said its search-and-rescue operation for any remaining victims of Thursday’s attack was ongoing.
