Families of prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members from Oyo State have been thrown into panic after kidnappers reportedly demanded a combined N50 million ransom for each of their victims abducted along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in Imo State.
The victims were travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom States when gunmen attacked two buses in the Umunoha area of Imo State on Thursday.
The Managing Director of Uko Akwa Ibom Motors Nigeria Limited, Isiah Akpan, whose company operates the buses, confirmed the development.
According to Akpan, the kidnappers contacted some of the victims’ families and demanded N50 million for each abducted passenger.
The development has heightened fears among relatives, who are anxiously awaiting the safe return of their loved ones as security agencies intensify efforts to locate the victims.
Akpan said the two buses departed Bodija/Samonda Park in Ibadan on Wednesday but were delayed by heavy traffic around Benin, Edo State.
He said the buses eventually arrived in Onitsha, Anambra State, late that day.
However, due to the condition of the road, the drivers and passengers decided to spend the night in Oba before continuing their journey the following morning.
According to him, the buses resumed the journey from Oba at about 5 a.m. on Thursday.
Akpan said the vehicles had barely entered Imo State when gunmen emerged from the bush, blocked the buses and forced 19 passengers into the bush.
“They blocked the two vehicles and took 19 passengers, all corps members, into the bush,” Akpan said.
He said the drivers escaped and alerted security personnel at a nearby checkpoint, prompting police and military personnel to commence a search for the abductors.
Akpan, however, said the operation was initially delayed after some villagers allegedly prevented security personnel from moving the abandoned buses from the scene.
The buses were eventually left at the location, with some of the passengers’ belongings scattered inside.
Less than 24 hours after the incident, the Imo State Police Command said that 10 victims had been rescued.
Victims’ Parents, Families Appeal For Help
Families of the victims have been receiving ransom demands
The reported ransom demands have deepened the anxiety of relatives of the missing graduates.
Some of the parents who spoke to Channels Television appealed to both the state and federal government to come to their aid and secure the release of their children.
Some of the parents in an interview with Channels Television noted that they are helpless in the face of the demands being made by the kidnappers. They are also worried about the safety of their children.
Olawale Olaleke, while speaking with Channels Television, said his son was one of those posted to Abia State to serve but was unfortunately kidnapped before he got to his destination.
Another parent, Olawale Olalere, narrated his ordeal with tears in his eyes, calling on Gove Seyi Makinde and President Bola Tinubu to come to their rescue.
He said, ” The vehicle took off from Samonda and slept in Onitsha, from where they took off the following morning, and just as they got to Owerri in Imo State, we heard they had been kidnapped.
” We are here to appeal to the government to come to our rescue. This morning, when they confirmed that they have been kidnapped, they’re already demanding N50 million naira on each victim”.
Mrs Oladosu said her daughter, Greatness, was travelling to Uyo when she was abducted
According to Oladosu, the kidnappers briefly contacted the family through her daughter’s phone and allowed them to see Greatness and other victims during a video call.
She said the victims were seen sitting on the ground in the bush and crying.
“Where will petty traders get N50 million? They are just going to serve Nigeria; why this punishment?” she said.
Another victim’s mother, Alimotu Akanke, said her son, Akande Farouq, who was posted to Abia State, managed to send a brief message to his family before his phone went off.
Farouq reportedly sent the word “Kidnappers!” to the family’s WhatsApp group before communication was lost.
Meanwhile, Friends and relatives of the victims have begun to seek help online.
As families await news of the victims, friends and associates of some of the abducted graduates have launched social media campaigns calling for assistance and their safe release.
A manifest from the two buses reportedly listed 30 passengers, 15 in each bus, although the number of people actually abducted and the identities of those rescued remained subject to clarification as security agents are yet to release the manifest from the transport company.
Oyo Govt Condemn Crime
The Oyo govt has condemned the abduction of the corps members and assured the parents and relatives of the victims of their safe release.
The assurance was given at the Oyo State Government Secretariat when the families affected paid a visit in protest of the abduction.
Executive Assistant to Gov Seyi Makinde on Security, Sunday Odukoya who attended to the group, attempted to calm frayed nerves, assuring them that Gov Makinde is working with all relevant stakeholders to secure the release of the Corps members.
Police Launche Rescue Operation
The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Henry Okoye, said security agencies were pursuing the abductors and had launched a coordinated operation to rescue the remaining victims.
However, it is unclear whether those 10 rescued persons were among the corps members reportedly abducted from the two buses.
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