NYSC Kidnap: Abductors Demand N950m for 19 Prospective Corps Members in Imo

National Youth Service Corps (NYSC)

NYSC Kidnap: Abductors Demand N950m for 19 Prospective Corps Members in Imo

Families of 19 prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members abducted in Imo State are facing mounting anxiety after their captors reportedly demanded a combined N950 million ransom for their release.

The graduates were travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states when gunmen attacked two buses along the Owerri-Onitsha Road, around Umunoha in Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State, on October 1.

The buses were operated by Uko Akwa Ibom Motors Nigeria Limited. The company’s Managing Director, Isiah Akpan, said the abductors demanded N50 million for each of the 19 victims, resulting in the reported N950 million demand.

Akpan said the two buses left Bodija/Samonda Park in Ibadan on Wednesday but were delayed by traffic around Benin, Edo State. They eventually reached Onitsha, Anambra State, where the travellers spent the night before continuing their journey early Thursday.

According to him, the buses resumed the journey at about 5am and had barely entered Imo State when armed men emerged from the bush, blocked the vehicles and forced passengers into the bush.

The drivers reportedly escaped and alerted security personnel at a nearby checkpoint, prompting a search operation involving the police and other security agencies.

A passenger manifest from the two buses reportedly contained 30 people, although reports from the transport company identified 19 prospective corps members as having been taken into the bush.

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The Imo State Police Command initially reported that 10 people had been rescued following the attack but said it was still verifying whether those rescued were among the prospective corps members reported missing. Police said a coordinated search operation was continuing for those still unaccounted for.

The situation has since prompted a higher-level police response. Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Disu deployed the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Operations, DIG Shehu Umar Nadada, to Imo State to provide operational direction for the search-and-rescue mission.

Nadada arrived with two commissioners of police and other senior security officials and conducted an on-the-spot assessment of the operation. The police subsequently deployed additional tactical teams and operational assets to identified areas while intelligence-led efforts to track the attackers were intensified.

The police said the operation was being conducted in collaboration with other security agencies, with the immediate objective of safely rescuing the abducted persons and arresting those responsible.

The reported ransom demand has heightened the anxiety of relatives. Some families said the abductors contacted them using the phones of their loved ones and demanded N50 million for individual victims.

One parent reportedly said the kidnappers called using her son’s phone and demanded N50 million. Another mother, Mrs Oladosu, said her daughter, Greatness, was among those travelling to Uyo and that the family was able to see her and other victims during a video call.

Another victim, Akande Farouq, reportedly managed to send a distress message to his family’s WhatsApp group before his phone became unreachable.

Friends and relatives of some of the affected graduates have also launched social media appeals for their safe release. One of the identified victims is Precious Oladipupo, a graduate of Obafemi Awolowo University.

The Oyo State Government has condemned the abduction and said it was working with security agencies, the Imo State Government and the NYSC leadership to secure the victims’ safe return. Governor Seyi Makinde also directed that necessary resources be deployed in support of efforts to rescue the affected residents.

The latest incident has renewed concerns about the safety of graduates travelling long distances for NYSC orientation programmes.

The Imo attack occurred only weeks after 15 prospective corps members were abducted in Kogi State while travelling to an NYSC orientation camp. Those victims were subsequently rescued by security forces.

With the police now conducting an intensified search in Imo, authorities have urged the public to remain calm and provide credible information that could assist the rescue operation.

The reported N950 million ransom demand remains based on information provided by the transport company and affected families. Police have not publicly confirmed the ransom figure and have continued to refer to the ongoing operation to rescue the abducted persons.

The number of people still in captivity has also been subject to differing accounts as security agencies continue to reconcile information from the scene, families and the transport company.