Kidnappers who abducted 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members travelling from Oyo State to their orientation camps have given their parents 24 hours to pay a total ransom of N1billion for their release.
The abductors reportedly demanded N50 million for each of the 20 graduates, threatening to harm them if the families failed to meet the demand within the stipulated period.
The parents disclosed this on Saturday when they visited the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, at his private residence in Bodija, Ibadan, alongside the Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Abimbola, and the Aseyin of Iseyinland, Oba Sefiu Adeyeri.
The prospective corps members were abducted on Thursday when gunmen attacked two buses conveying them from Ibadan to their respective NYSC orientation camps along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in Umunoha, Imo State.
Speaking on behalf of the affected families, Alhaja Akande and Oyebola Akande said the kidnappers had been contacting them through the mobile phones of the abducted graduates and had threatened to harm the victims if the ransom was not paid.
“They have been calling us since yesterday (Friday) with a demand for N50m ransom each. They are threatening that anything untoward will happen to our children if we fail to heed to their request.
“There is no way we can raise such an amount at this period. Baba, kindly assist us. Don’t let them kill our children,” the parents pleaded.
They appealed to the Olubadan and the police commissioner to urgently intervene and ensure the safe and immediate release of their children, expressing fears over the threats issued by the abductors.
Responding, Ladoja assured the distraught parents that security agencies were working to rescue the victims unharmed, urging them to remain calm as efforts continued.
“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, police are up to the task, and nothing would happen to your children,” he said.
The Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Abimbola, also disclosed that he had been in contact with his Imo State counterpart, Audu Garba Bosso, over the abduction, adding that both commands had been communicating since the incident occurred.
“I had already contacted Imo State CP. We have been talking since the day of incident, and he assured me that the victims would be rescued unhurt,” Abimbola said.
The police commissioner, however, did not disclose whether any ransom had been paid by the families or provide specific details of the ongoing rescue operations.
The latest development comes as security agencies intensify efforts to locate and rescue the abducted graduates, with the Imo State Police Command confirming that operatives had identified the suspected kidnappers’ hideout.
The Imo State Commissioner of Police, Bosso, said on Saturday that security operatives had used drones to locate the suspected camp where the remaining victims were being held.
However, he disclosed that the rescue operation had been delayed by intelligence reports indicating that the camp had been planted with improvised explosive devices (IEDs), raising concerns over the safety of the hostages and security personnel.
The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, has also deployed the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Operations, Shehu Nadada, to Imo State to coordinate the search-and-rescue operation and strengthen efforts to secure the victims’ release.
The abduction has raised fresh concerns over the safety of travellers on major highways in the South-East, particularly as the prospective corps members were travelling to begin their mandatory one-year national service when they were seized.
The parents are now appealing for urgent government and security intervention as the kidnappers’ reported 24-hour deadline places further pressure on efforts to secure the victims’ safe return.
