The 20 prospective members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) released by suspected kidnappers in Imo State have reportedly been offered the opportunity to choose any of the six South-West states for their national service.
A parent of one of the survivors, who spoke anonymously to Saturday PUNCH on Friday, said the graduates had been allowed to select their preferred states to continue their service with the current batch.
“They have been given the opportunity to choose states in the South-West to continue their service with the current batch,” she said.
The parent also disclosed that the families paid ₦6 million in ransom for each of the abducted graduates.
“As for the ransom, we eventually paid ₦6m each, but we wanted them freed before disclosing that,” she added.
A relative of another survivor, identified as Joy Zainab, also confirmed that family members and well-wishers contributed towards the ransom.
“Alhamdulillah, he has been released and is safe with us at home. Thank you to everyone who prayed, reached out, showed concern, shared his story and supported us financially towards his ransom,” she said.
The accounts corroborated an earlier disclosure by Alirat Wahab, the mother of another victim, who said her family paid ₦6 million after the kidnappers initially demanded ₦50 million per captive.
Speaking in an interview with News Central Television, Wahab said the abductors later reduced their demand to ₦15 million before eventually accepting ₦6 million following appeals from the family.
“Initially, they asked us to pay N50 million 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.
Wahab said relatives and well-meaning Nigerians contributed towards raising the money.
She added that the kidnappers instructed the families to send representatives to Ibadan, Oyo State, where her husband and son met an intermediary.
According to her, the money was subsequently transferred into a designated account, while the representatives were 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 Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State, while travelling in two commercial buses operated by Uko Akwa Ibom Motors.
They were reportedly travelling to Abia and Akwa Ibom states.
The police announced the rescue of the graduates on Wednesday, saying they had been found at Amakohia Ubi Village in Owerri West Local Government Area of Imo State.
However, the families disputed the police account, insisting that ransom payments had been made to secure their release.
The mother of another survivor disclosed that she and her daughter had been hospitalised 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.
A survivor who spoke to Saturday PUNCH by telephone expressed gratitude for surviving the ordeal but declined to give further details.
“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.
Attempts to reach the NYSC spokesperson, Caroline Embu, for confirmation of the reported South-West postings were unsuccessful as of press time.
The Imo State Commissioner of Police, Audu Bosso, said on Thursday that he was unaware of any ransom payment, maintaining that sustained security operations had forced the abductors to release the captives.
Similarly, the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Anietie Iniedu, said the graduates were rescued through joint search-and-rescue operations involving security agencies.
The police said the prospective corps members were taken to the Department of State Services hospital in Owerri for medical evaluation.
The NYSC Director-General, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, visited the graduates alongside the Imo State Commissioner of Police and the Commander of the 34 Artillery Brigade.
The abduction, alongside other attacks on graduates travelling for national service, has renewed concerns about the safety of prospective corps members travelling long distances to orientation camps.
On August 26, 15 prospective corps members travelling from Bayelsa State to Abuja were abducted along the Aloma-Egane Expressway in Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State. They were later rescued from Egume Forest by security operatives.
In May, an 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 by Saturday PUNCH also indicated that more than 20 corps members had been killed in various attacks between 2015 and 2026.
The recurring attacks have intensified debate over the future of the 53-year-old NYSC scheme, with critics questioning the policy of deploying young graduates far from their home states amid worsening insecurity.
The NYSC was established under Decree No. 24 of May 22, 1973, during the administration of General Yakubu Gowon.
Its founding objectives included promoting national reconciliation, reconstruction and integration after the Nigerian Civil War by deploying graduates of tertiary institutions to states other than their states of origin.
In June 2026, the Federal Executive Council approved a package of reforms for the scheme, including risk-sensitive deployment to improve corps members’ safety, a technology-driven call-up process and an extension of the orientation programme from three to six weeks.
The reforms also included specialised career streams intended to align corps members’ training and assignments with their qualifications and career interests.
The latest abductions have raised questions about how the safety measures will be implemented, particularly for graduates travelling long distances to orientation camps and those posted to areas facing security threats.
A former corps member, Veronica Oloko, called for the scheme to be scrapped, arguing that young Nigerians should not be exposed to severe security risks.
“If it won’t be scrapped, then the government should have bus stations for corps members all over the states, with soldiers stationed at the parks. At least, a few soldiers should be in each bus, with the necessary equipment to protect the corps members,” she said.
Oloko, however, acknowledged the risks associated with relying on military escorts, noting that security personnel themselves were sometimes attacked.
“When the government is able to fight insurgency, then they can return it. I won’t even allow my child to go,” she added.
Another parent, Akeem Kareem, also supported calls to scrap the scheme, citing widespread security concerns and the fears of parents whose children could be posted to distant locations.
