FAMILIES PANIC AS KIDNAPPERS DEMAND N50M EACH FOR ABDUCTED NYSC MEMBERS

Families of prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members from Oyo State are seeking urgent government intervention after gunmen abducted corps members travelling to orientation camps in southeastern Nigeria.

The victims were among passengers travelling from Ibadan to Abia and Akwa Ibom states when two buses belonging to Uko Akwa Ibom Motors Nigeria Limited were attacked along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in Imo State on Thursday.

The company’s Managing Director, Isiah Akpan, confirmed the incident, saying the abductors had contacted some families and demanded N50 million for each victim.

According to Akpan, the two buses left the Bodija/Samonda Park in Ibadan on Wednesday but encountered heavy traffic around Benin, Edo State, before eventually reaching Onitsha, Anambra State, late in the day.

He said the drivers and passengers subsequently decided to spend the night in Oba because of the condition of the road and resumed their journey at about 5am the following morning.

Akpan said the buses had just entered Imo State when armed men emerged from the bush, blocked their path and forced 19 passengers into the bush.

“They blocked the two vehicles and took 19 passengers, all corps members, into the bush,” he said.

The drivers reportedly escaped and alerted security personnel at a nearby checkpoint, after which police and military personnel launched a search for the abductors.

Akpan, however, said the operation was initially hampered when some villagers allegedly prevented security personnel from moving the abandoned buses from the scene.

The vehicles were subsequently left at the location, with some belongings belonging to the passengers still inside.

Within 24 hours of the incident, the Imo State Police Command announced that 10 victims had been rescued, although it remained unclear whether the rescued persons were among the corps members abducted from the two buses.

FAMILIES APPEAL FOR GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION

The reported ransom demands have intensified anxiety among the victims’ families, with parents appealing to the state and Federal Governments to secure the release of their children.

One of the parents, Olawale Olaleke, said his son was among the corps members posted to Abia State but was abducted before reaching his destination.

Another parent, Olawale Olalere, appealed to Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde and President Bola Tinubu to intervene.

He said the families were informed of the abduction after the buses left Onitsha for their destination and were later confronted with ransom demands.

“ We are here to appeal to the government to come to our rescue. This morning, when they confirmed that they had been kidnapped, they were already demanding N50 million for each victim,” he said.

A parent, Mrs Oladosu, said her daughter, Greatness, was travelling to Uyo when she was abducted.

She said the kidnappers briefly contacted the family using her daughter’s phone and later allowed them to see Greatness and some of the other victims during a video call.

According to her, 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 asked.

Another mother, Alimotu Akanke, said her son, Akande Farouq, who was posted to Abia State, managed to send a brief message to the family before his phone became unreachable.

She said Farouq sent the word “Kidnappers!” to the family’s WhatsApp group before communication was lost.

Meanwhile, friends and relatives of the affected corps members have turned to social media to seek assistance and draw attention to the abduction.

OYO GOVERNMENT SEEKS SAFE RELEASE

The Oyo State Government has condemned the incident and assured the affected families that efforts were ongoing to secure the safe release of the abducted corps members.

The assurance was given when relatives of the victims visited the state government secretariat to protest the abduction.

The Executive Assistant to Governor Seyi Makinde on Security, Sunday Odukoya, who received the group, appealed for calm and said the governor was engaging relevant stakeholders over the incident.

SECURITY AGENCIES LAUNCH SEARCH

The Police Public Relations Officer in Imo State, DSP Henry Okoye, said security agencies had commenced a coordinated operation to locate the abductors and rescue the remaining victims.

However, the exact number of people abducted remains subject to clarification.

A manifest reportedly indicated that 30 passengers were on board the two buses, with 15 passengers in each vehicle, while the transport company and security agencies had yet to publicly reconcile the manifest with the number of people abducted and those subsequently rescued.