Kidnappers holding 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps members in Imo State have reportedly reduced their ransom demand from N1 billion to N100 million, as families continue to appeal for urgent action to secure the victims’ release.
The graduates were abducted last Thursday while travelling from Ibadan to NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states. Gunmen reportedly attacked two buses carrying the prospective corps members around Umunoha along the Owerri-Onitsha Road.
According to the victims’ families, the kidnappers initially demanded N50 million for each person, which put the total ransom at N1 billion. The latest demand is reportedly N5 million per victim, bringing the total to N100 million.
One of the relatives, Alimot Akande, said the reduction had not eased the families’ concerns because the victims were still being held. She alleged that some of the abductees had been physically assaulted by their captors.
The families have appealed to the government and security agencies to intensify efforts to rescue the prospective corps members. The Oyo State Government said it was working with the Imo State Government and security agencies to secure their release.
The Imo State Police Command has said it located the suspected camp where the victims are being held through drone surveillance. However, Commissioner of Police Audu Bosso said security operatives were exercising caution because intelligence indicated that the area had been planted with improvised explosive devices.
Bosso said additional equipment, including bulldozers and armoured personnel carriers, was being deployed to support the operation. The Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of operations, Shehu Umar Nadada, also assured the families that security agencies were working to rescue the victims safely.
There has also been confusion over the number of people initially rescued during the attack. Police previously said 10 victims were rescued at the scene, while the families disputed that account and said those who escaped had fled into the bush.
The situation has increased pressure on security agencies to secure the safe release of those still in captivity. Families and friends of the abducted graduates have also been using social media to seek assistance and draw attention to the case.
As the rescue operation continues, relatives remain focused on the safe return of the prospective corps members, while security agencies work to locate the kidnappers and bring the victims out of captivity.