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Families of 19 prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members abducted in Imo State have been thrown into panic after their captors reportedly demanded a total ransom of ₦950 million for their release.
The victims were travelling in two buses from Ibadan, Oyo State, to NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom when gunmen attacked them along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in Umunoha, Imo State, on Thursday.
The Managing Director of Uko Akwa Ibom Motors Nigeria Limited, Isiah Akpan, whose company operated the buses, confirmed the incident on Friday.
According to him, the abductors demanded ₦50 million for each of the 19 corps members taken into the bush.
Akpan said the buses departed Bodija/Samonda Park in Ibadan on Wednesday but were delayed by traffic around Benin, Edo State, before reaching Onitsha, Anambra State, late in the day.
He explained that the drivers and passengers spent the night in Oba because they could not continue the journey, before resuming at about 5am on Thursday.
He said the buses had barely entered Imo State when the gunmen emerged from the bush, blocked the vehicles and took 19 passengers away.
The drivers reportedly escaped and alerted security personnel at a nearby checkpoint, prompting the police and military to commence a search for the abductors.
Akpan, however, said the operation was initially delayed after some villagers allegedly prevented security personnel from removing the abandoned buses from the scene.
The two vehicles were eventually left at the scene, with passengers' belongings reportedly scattered inside.
The Imo State Police Command had said on Thursday night that 10 victims were rescued, while security agencies continued searching for the remaining abducted passengers.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Henry Okoye, said security operatives had launched a coordinated operation to locate the victims and apprehend their abductors, but did not confirm whether the rescued persons were among the corps members.
Families in panic
One of the victims' parents said the abductors contacted her using her son's phone and demanded ₦50 million for his release.
Another parent, Mrs Oladosu, whose daughter Greatness was travelling to Uyo, said the kidnappers contacted the family and briefly showed the victims during a video call.
She said the sight of the corps members sitting on the ground in the bush had heightened the family's anxiety.
The mother of another victim, Akande Farouq, said her son, who was posted to Abia State, managed to send a distress message reading "Kidnappers!" to the family WhatsApp group before his phone went dead.
A manifest from the two buses reportedly contained 30 passengers, although the number of persons abducted was put at 19.
Friends of some of the victims have also launched social media campaigns appealing for help to secure their release.
Oyo govt reacts
The Oyo State Government condemned the abduction and said it was working with security agencies, the Imo State Government and NYSC authorities to secure the victims' safe return.
The state's Commissioner for Information, Dotun Oyelade, said Governor Seyi Makinde had directed that necessary resources be deployed to support efforts to rescue the abducted prospective corps members.
The government also appealed to affected families to remain calm while urging security agencies to intensify the search and rescue operation.
The incident has renewed concerns over the safety of prospective corps members travelling across the country to their orientation camps.
In recent months, other prospective corps members have also been abducted while travelling to orientation camps, including 15 who were seized along the Aloma-Egane Expressway in Kogi State in August and later rescued by security forces.
Security analysts have consequently called for stronger protection arrangements for corps members, particularly along identified kidnapping corridors.
Security analyst Chidi Omeje said criminals could be exploiting the predictable movement of graduates during NYSC mobilisation and deployment periods.
Another security expert, Olalekan Jackson-Ojo, called for a review of deployment arrangements in areas affected by serious insecurity, while educationist Dele Olapeju said repeated attacks could weaken public confidence in the NYSC scheme.
The latest incident has intensified calls for improved security measures for prospective corps members travelling to orientation camps and for stronger coordination among the NYSC, security agencies and state governments.
