Kidnappers holding 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps members abducted in Imo State have reduced their ransom demand from N1bn to N100m, as families raised fresh concerns over the safety of the victims.
The abductors initially demanded N50m for each victim, but have now reduced the amount to N5m per person.
The prospective corps members were travelling from Ibadan to their NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states on Thursday when gunmen attacked two buses around Umunoha along the Owerri-Onitsha Road.
The development has heightened anxiety among the victims’ families after one parent, Alhaja Alimot Akande, alleged that the abducted graduates were being beaten by their captors.
Speaking through one of her daughters in Ibadan on Sunday, Akande said the kidnappers had not spared either male or female victims.
“They are not sparing anybody. They are beating all of them,” she said.
She said the ransom reduction had not eased the families’ concerns because the victims remained in captivity.
Akande also disclosed that one of the victims had been allowed to speak with his father, with the kidnappers reportedly monitoring the calls to assess the family’s ability to pay the ransom.
The parents also disputed earlier reports that 10 passengers had been rescued by security operatives, saying those who escaped did so by fleeing into the bush.
Security agencies close in
The Imo State Police Command said security operatives were continuing efforts to rescue the abducted prospective corps members.
The command’s spokesperson, DSP Henry Okoye, said operatives were conducting an operation and gradually closing in on the victims.
The 34 Artillery Brigade, Owerri, also said security agencies were working together to secure the victims’ release.
The Imo State Commissioner of Police, Audu Bosso, had earlier disclosed that security agencies had identified the suspected kidnappers’ camp using drones. However, he said operatives delayed entering the location because intelligence indicated that the area had been planted with improvised explosive devices.
Bosso said security agencies were preparing to deploy heavy equipment, including bulldozers and armoured personnel carriers, to facilitate the rescue operation.
Calls grow for NYSC reform
The abduction has triggered renewed calls for changes to the NYSC scheme.
The African Democratic Congress called for the programme to be suspended for one year to allow the Federal Government to reorganise it and strengthen safety measures.
Its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said the scheme remained important for national unity but argued that the current security situation required urgent action.
The Young Progressives Party similarly called for comprehensive reform of NYSC, saying the scheme should be redesigned to reflect Nigeria’s current security realities.
The presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, Omoyele Sowore, went further, calling for the immediate suspension and eventual scrapping of the scheme, while proposing that corps members be allowed to serve within their states of origin.
Opposition demands immediate rescue
Several opposition political groups and figures also condemned the abduction and demanded the immediate and safe rescue of the victims.
The National Democratic Congress and Labour Party called on the Federal Government to prioritise the victims’ release, while the Social Democratic Party described the incident as a reflection of the country’s worsening security challenges.
Peter Obi also condemned the abduction, saying young Nigerians should be able to travel, work and serve their country without fear.
At least three graduates of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, are reportedly among those abducted. The university appealed for coordinated efforts by security agencies to secure their release.
The Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, had assured the victims’ parents that their children would be rescued unharmed.
