Kidnappers holding 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps members abducted along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in Imo State have reduced their ransom demand from N50m to N5m per victim, bringing the total demand down from N1bn to N100m.
The development came as the victims’ parents disclosed that the abducted graduates were being beaten by their captors, heightening fears over their safety and prompting renewed calls for urgent government intervention.
One of the affected parents, Alhaja Alimot Akande, who spoke through one of her daughters in Ibadan, Oyo State, on Sunday, said the abductors had subjected the victims to physical assault since Friday.
Akande said the reduction in the ransom had not eased the families’ anxiety because the victims remained in captivity and were allegedly being brutalised.
“The kidnappers had reduced their demand from the earlier N50m per victim to N5m each,” she said.
“They are still demanding N5m. They have come down to N5m each.”
The prospective corps members were travelling from Ibadan to their NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states on Thursday when gunmen attacked the two buses conveying them around Umunoha on the Owerri-Onitsha Road in Imo State.
Some of the names released by the parents are Makinde Mary Oluwapelumi, Akande Kehinde Morufat, Abdul Temiloluwa Sarah, Adeniran Mariam Olulola, Adefioye Ayomide Isaac, Adewale Paul Iyanuoluwa and Oyede Esther Funmilayo.
The names were released by the parents during a visit to the private residence of the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, in Bodija, Ibadan North Local Government Area, on Saturday.
The parents also disputed claims that 10 passengers were rescued by security operatives after the attack, saying those who escaped did so by fleeing into the bush.
The Managing Director of Uko Akwa Ibom Motors Nigeria Limited, Isiah Akpan, had confirmed the initial N50m ransom demand per victim to The PUNCH on Friday.
Akande said she could not confirm how much the families had raised towards the ransom, explaining that she was not privy to the arrangements between the kidnappers and the other parents.
“I cannot say because I do not know how much they have told those people that they have,” she said.
Describing the situation, she said, “It has been horrible, scary and overwhelming.”
She added that the situation became more disturbing after she learnt that the abductors had started beating the victims.
“Sir, we appeal to the government at all levels to please assist us in getting them rescued out of that place. They have started beating them since yesterday,” she said.
Asked whether the female corps members were also being assaulted, Akande said the kidnappers had shown no restraint.
“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 communicate with his father, but alleged that the kidnappers were using the calls to assess the family’s ability to raise the ransom.
“The abductors would alert the victim whenever his father’s call came in and allow him to speak because they believed the father could provide the ransom. His father has been communicating with him. The kidnappers give him access to a telephone. Whenever his father calls, they show him that a call came in for you. He would just say, ‘Oh, that’s my father.’
“They know money will come out of father’s hands, so they would just pick it and allow him to talk. And they have been beating him. They have been beating all of them.”
The parent said the families had been relying on assurances from the police while efforts continued to raise the ransom.
“The police are telling us to still be buying time. We are still looking for the money. Depending, they will see them rescued,” she said.
The Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Ladoja, had on Saturday assured the parents that their children would be rescued unharmed.
“I want to assure that your children would be rescued unharmed. We will relate whatever information we gather to you. The police are working round the clock to secure their rescue. Don’t worry yourself, the police are up to the task, and nothing would happen to your children,” he said.
Also speaking, the Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Abimbola, said he had contacted his counterpart in Imo State and that efforts were underway to secure the victims’ rescue.
“I had already contacted Imo State CP. We have been talking since the day of the incident, and he assured me that the victims would be rescued unhurt,” he said.
Suspend scheme — ADC
Meanwhile, the African Democratic Congress has called for the suspension of the NYSC scheme for one year to allow the Federal Government to reorganise the programme and strengthen measures to ensure the safety of corps members.
The National Publicity Secretary of the ADC, Bolaji Abdullahi, made the call in an exclusive interview with The PUNCH on Sunday.
Abdullahi said the NYSC remained relevant to national unity but argued that the current security situation required the temporary suspension and review of the scheme.
“I think the NYSC is still relevant. But I think we need to respond to the current situation of insecurity in the country.
“If we were to advise the President, we think this is the time to suspend it for at least one year to give room for proper reorganisation, in such a way that it will protect the young people and also make the scheme worthwhile for them.
“Beyond that, it is a very important scheme for fostering national unity. The issues that the NYSC sought to address since it was created in 1973, at the end of the Civil War, are still there. So, we think it remains relevant.
“But we need to be responsible. We need to understand that it is also about the lives of other people, more than anything else. It is a different country today from what it was many years ago,” he said.
Abdullahi also criticised the Federal Government’s handling of insecurity, accusing President Bola Tinubu of blaming security agencies rather than addressing weaknesses in the country’s security architecture.
“On the issue of the President blaming the security agencies or anything, the President is blaming the victim, as usual. Because the security personnel are also not properly prepared. They are not properly equipped for this,” he said.
He questioned how the abductors were able to intercept the prospective corps members despite indications that the area was vulnerable to kidnapping.
“If many corps members can be abducted at once, somebody must have given information to the people who carried out the abduction and no one was able to stop them,” he lamented.
Abdullahi also criticised President Tinubu’s Independence Day address, saying he devoted insufficient attention to the security situation.
“The President made a single reference to the security situation in the country—not even one word,” he said.
He further accused the President of being more concerned about the 2027 election than Nigerians held captive by kidnappers.
“The President does not even consider it to be his responsibility. He is only concerned about winning the election. And that is why everything he did in that speech was to tell us that things have gone very well and, therefore, we should vote for him again because now we can enjoy prosperity.
“That is all he was saying. He didn’t care about the people who are in captivity under his watch. And it doesn’t appear that he was able to do anything about it. Now, he is only concerned about the election,” he added.
Opposition demands rescue
The National Democratic Congress and the Labour Party also condemned the abduction and demanded the immediate and safe rescue of the prospective corps members.
The NDC National Publicity Secretary, Osa Director, and his Labour Party counterpart, Ken Asogwa, made their positions known in separate exclusive telephone interviews with The PUNCH on Sunday.
Director said the government had a constitutional responsibility to protect the lives and property of Nigerians.
“We should not play with the lives and security of our children, as they are the future of the country. The primary purpose of government as enshrined in Section 14(2) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) is the security of lives and property of the citizens,” he said.
The NDC spokesman called for an overhaul of the country’s security system.
“Obviously, the APC government has failed in its primary responsibility to the people. We need an urgent surgical operation of our security architecture. Only a government with political WILL can do that,” he said.
He added, “Therefore, the NDC, under the leadership of Peter Obi, is prepared to give Nigerians a government that would protect and secure their lives for economic prosperity.”
Similarly, Asogwa described the abduction as evidence of worsening insecurity and what he called moral decay in the country.
“The kidnap of the corps members is indeed a reflection of the decay in the land. Beyond the perversion of insecurity that is so easily reflected in the crime, it is a testament to the fact that our moral fabrics are at the lowest ebb,” he said.
He expressed concern that the victims could be abandoned like other Nigerians still in captivity.
“As we speak, kidnapped Niger State school pupils are still in captivity and the nation seems to have moved on. I hope that Nigeria will not also abandon these innocent corps members whose only offence was enrolment into the mandatory NYSC scheme,” he said.
Asogwa urged the Federal Government to prioritise the victims’ rescue.
“The Federal Government should employ the same energy it has exerted in muzzling opposition voices to rescue these innocent corps members without harm. That is what the state exists for,” he said.
In the same vein, the Social Democratic Party, through its spokesperson, Rufus Aiyenigba, described the abduction as “a shame of a nation.”
He said, “That we have 20 young Nigerians serving their fatherland being held by abductors, and N50m ransom is being demanded per abductee, is a shame of a nation.
“That our military and intelligence systems are unable to flush out kidnappers and bandits from our forests, with our yearly humongous security budgets, speaks to the precarious state of our homeland security and the imperative of fresh and modern governance perspectives.”
He called on the government to “aggressively deploy security measures to bring about a reversal of the alarming trend of abductions across Nigeria, to secure citizens, and to restore public confidence.”
“Considering the underwhelming performance of this administration, particularly in the area of security and welfare of citizens, the only option for Nigerians to reverse the alarming trend is to vote out the government and bring in competent hands like the Adebayo-Bugage team, bubbling with vibrancy, creative ideas, and solutions to our national malaise.”
He added that “an SDP-led Federal Government will certainly come up with practical reforms of the NYSC scheme in a manner that will reduce the associated risks for participants and enhance its mandate delivery beyond the yearly rituals.”
In its contribution, the Young Progressives Party condemned the abduction, describing it as unfortunate and a “painful reminder of the failure of government to adequately address Nigeria’s worsening security challenges.”
Speaking with The PUNCH on Sunday, the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Wale Egbeola-Martins, said the security situation in the country had reached an alarming level.
“The fact that the abductors are reportedly demanding ransom underscores the dangerous scale of the kidnapping economy and the urgency with which the government must act.”
The party called on the President Tinubu-led government to demonstrate greater capacity and political will to tackle insecurity.
“Government cannot continue to respond to abductions after they occur; it must develop intelligence-driven, preventive security measures that make kidnapping increasingly difficult and unprofitable. If the government continues to fail in its fundamental responsibility to protect lives and property, Nigerians will have the opportunity in 2027 to make their judgment at the ballot box,” the YPP image maker said.
While noting that the NYSC was long overdue for comprehensive reform, the YPP said the scheme was established for a different era and that its objectives “must now be reimagined to reflect the realities and needs of contemporary Nigeria.”
Rather than exposing young graduates to unnecessary security risks through compulsory deployment to distant and sometimes volatile locations, the scheme should become more innovation- and entrepreneurship-driven, the party said.
The Seyi Makinde Allied Peoples Movement 2027 Presidential Campaign Council also called on President Bola Tinubu to take immediate action to rescue the abducted corps members.
In a statement signed by its Director of Strategic Communications, Richard Ihediwa, the council urged the President, as Commander-in-Chief, to ensure the safe and unconditional release of the victims.
The council also called for intensified efforts to rescue other Nigerians abducted in Niger, Kwara, Kaduna, Zamfara, Sokoto, Katsina, Borno and other parts of the country.
The campaign organisation said, “The Makinde-Daura Presidential Campaign Organization demands that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu lives up to his billing as Commander-in-Chief and brings back the prospective National Youth Service Corps members who were abducted in Imo State on Independence Day.
“In the same vein, the MDPCO demands that President Tinubu should take a decisive step to secure the unconditional release and safe return of other Nigerians abducted in Niger, Kwara, Kaduna, Zamfara, Sokoto, Katsina, Borno and other parts of the country under his watch.”
The council said the continued captivity of the corps members was unacceptable.
“Nigerians cannot afford a leadership that is not alive to the primary purpose of government, as provided under Section 14(2)(b) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), which is the security and wellbeing of citizens,” it said.
It called on the President to act decisively on insecurity and secure the release of the abducted corps members and other Nigerians in captivity.
Obi condemns abduction
The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi, also condemned the abduction and called on the Federal Government to do everything within its power to rescue the victims.
In a post on Sunday on his verified X handle, @PeterObi, the former Anambra State governor said the incident was another indication of worsening insecurity.
“The abduction of approximately 20 prospective NYSC members travelling to their orientation camp is yet another distressing indication of the worsening insecurity in our country. These young Nigerians were preparing to serve their nation, but they were unable to travel safely on our roads. Families are increasingly burdened by the fear that their loved ones could fall victim to kidnapping.
“Protecting lives and property is the government’s foremost responsibility. We cannot continue to regard insecurity as an ordinary occurrence or act only after people’s lives have been disrupted.
“I call for the immediate and safe rescue of all the abducted corps members and the arrest of those responsible. Nigeria must become a country where young people can travel, work and serve their nation without fear,” he wrote.
LAUTECH, Sowore react
The management of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, also expressed anguish over the reported abduction, particularly because at least three of its graduates were among those reportedly kidnapped.
The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Razaq Kalilu, in a statement issued by the institution’s Public and Alumni Relations Unit, called for coordinated efforts by security agencies to secure the victims’ release.
“The University stands firmly with the affected families at this deeply distressing moment.
“This is a painful and deeply troubling development for the University and, most importantly, for the families of our graduates and the other young Nigerians whose lives have been so cruelly disrupted. Our immediate and overriding concern is their safety and safe return to their families,” he said.
Kalilu added, “Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, remains in solidarity with the families. We are praying and hoping for the safe return of our graduates and every other victim.”
On his part, the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, Omoyele Sowore, called for the scrapping of the NYSC, arguing that the scheme had “outlived its usefulness in its current form.”
Taking to X on Sunday, the activist and politician wrote, “You cannot force young Nigerians to ‘serve their fatherland’ when the same country cannot guarantee their safety while they travel to their places of service.
“The NYSC should be suspended immediately and ultimately scrapped. In the meantime, all corps members should be given the option to serve within their states of origin.”
Alli seeks rescue
The Oyo State governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Senator Sharafadeen Alli, condemned the abduction and appealed for the unconditional release of the prospective corps members. Alli described the incident as deeply disturbing, noting that the young graduates were travelling to undertake their national service and posed no threat to anyone.
Alli expressed solidarity with the affected families, saying they were living in fear and anxiety over the fate of their loved ones. He urged security agencies to intensify efforts to locate and rescue the victims safely, while appealing to those holding them to recognise the sanctity of human life and release them unharmed.
The APC candidate also called for stronger security measures along major inter-state routes, particularly those frequently used by prospective corps members and other travellers, to prevent a recurrence. He said Nigerians should be able to travel for education, employment and national service without fear for their lives, and prayed for the safe return of all the abducted prospective corps members.
“I appeal to those holding these young Nigerians to release them unconditionally. They are innocent graduates, sons and daughters of families who are now living in unbearable pain, fear and anxiety,” Alli said.
“The NYSC was established to promote national unity and integration. These young people should not become victims while answering the call to serve their country,” he added.
“Those responsible must recognise the sanctity of human life and spare these young Nigerians. Their families are waiting for them to return home safely,” Alli said.
Security agencies
On a positive note, the Imo State Police Command and the 34 Artillery Brigade, Owerri, said on Sunday that efforts were ongoing to rescue the kidnapped NYSC members.
The police spokesperson for the Imo State Command, DSP Henry Okoye, said the security operatives were conducting an operation and closing in on the victims.
Okoye said, “We’re conducting the operation and gradually closing in. We will keep you posted.”
The Public Relations Officer of the 34 Artillery Brigade, Owerri, Major Hashimu Abdullahi, said the development was receiving adequate attention, adding that all the security agencies were working together to rescue the kidnapped travellers.
Abdullahi said, “Please, be assured that all necessary efforts are being made in collaboration with all relevant security agencies regarding the matter. The situation is receiving the required attention, and every available avenue is being explored to ensure a positive outcome.
“We will keep you informed of any significant developments as they become available.”
The Imo State Commissioner of Police, Audu Bosso, had on Saturday said the command had identified the location where the kidnapped NYSC members were being held, but security operatives had delayed moving into the camp over fears of improvised explosive devices.
According to him, the police used drones on Friday to locate the suspected camp after security operatives trailed the abductors into the bush but exercised caution because intelligence indicated that the camp had been mined with IEDs.
“Any moment, we’ll still move into the bush. Yesterday, we were in the bush; we trailed them up to a particular location. But at that point in time, we couldn’t move in to where the coordinates showed us because we ran drones yesterday. And the drone actually showed us exactly their location.
“But our predicament is that with the intel we have, the camp is mined with IEDs,” he said.
Bosso said the security agencies were preparing to move into the area with heavy equipment, including bulldozers and armoured personnel carriers, in an effort to rescue the victims safely.
“We are moving in there with high, you know, high-velocity vehicles, that is, bulldozers. We’re moving in with bulldozers and APCs to see how we’re going to rescue these victims unhurt,” he said.
Efforts to get the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Anietie Iniedu, and the Army Public Relations Officer, Col. Appolonia Anele, for comments proved abortive, as they neither responded to phone calls nor texts from our correspondent.
Source: punchng.com
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