The families of prospective National Youth Service Corps members abducted in Imo State are appealing for urgent government intervention after the kidnappers reportedly reduced their ransom demand to N100 million.
Relatives said the abductors lowered the demand from N50 million to N5 million for each victim. With about 20 prospective corps members reportedly being held, the revised demand amounts to N100 million.
The young graduates were travelling from Ibadan to their NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states when gunmen reportedly attacked two buses along the Owerri-Onitsha Expressway in Imo State.
The incident occurred on Thursday, October 1, as the passengers made their way to their respective destinations.
Families raise alarm over alleged torture
The reduction in the ransom has done little to ease the concerns of the victims’ families, who say their relatives remain in captivity.
One relative, Alimot Akande, whose 25-year-old sister Kehinde Akande was among those abducted, said the kidnappers had allegedly begun physically assaulting the captives.
She said the attackers were not sparing female victims and appealed to the government and security agencies to accelerate efforts to secure their release.
According to the relative, one of the abducted graduates had been allowed to speak with his father. She alleged that the kidnappers were using such conversations to determine whether the family could raise the money being demanded for the victims’ freedom.
The families have reportedly been trying to raise funds while receiving assurances from security authorities that efforts are underway to rescue those still being held.
Security agencies locate suspected hideout
Security authorities have intensified their search for the abducted graduates.
The Imo State Police Command said its personnel and other security agencies had tracked the suspected kidnappers into a forest area.
Police Commissioner Audu Bosso reportedly said drones were deployed to help identify the location of the suspected camp. However, security personnel were cautious about moving into the area after intelligence suggested that improvised explosive devices may have been planted around the hideout.
The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, has also deployed senior officers to Imo State to coordinate the rescue operation.
The Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Operations, Shehu Nadada, was sent to the state alongside two commissioners of police to strengthen the response and review the operation.
Conflicting figures over those still missing
There has been some uncertainty over the exact number of people still being held.
Police initially reported that 10 victims had been rescued following the attack, while investigations continued to establish the precise number of people abducted.
Subsequent accounts from relatives put the number of prospective corps members in captivity at 20, while the Imo police commissioner later referred to 19 prospective corps members believed to be in the kidnappers’ camp.
The difference in figures has added to the uncertainty surrounding the incident, although authorities have continued search-and-rescue efforts.
Oyo government seeks federal action
The Oyo State Government has also become involved because many of the affected graduates are from the state.
Oyo State Commissioner for Information, Dotun Oyelade, said the state was communicating with the Imo authorities and security agencies while exploring ways to assist in the rescue effort.
He said Oyo officials were providing information and experience from previous kidnapping cases, while stressing that the federal government remains primarily responsible for national security.
Oyelade also said the state would avoid disclosing sensitive operational details that could compromise the rescue mission.
Parents accuse transport company of withholding information
Some relatives have also expressed frustration with the transport company that conveyed the graduates from Ibadan.
The parents alleged that they approached the company’s office in Samonda, Ibadan, seeking information about the passengers and their next of kin so affected families could coordinate their response.
They claimed the company did not provide the requested information.
One parent said the transport operator should be held accountable, while another questioned why the company was continuing its operations following the incident.
When journalists visited the company’s premises, the office was reportedly locked and no official was available to respond to the allegations.
Pressure mounts for swift rescue
The abduction has generated growing concern because the victims were travelling to begin their national service.
Security agencies are now under pressure to secure their safe release while avoiding actions that could put the hostages at greater risk.
The suspected presence of explosives around the kidnappers’ hideout has further complicated the operation, forcing security personnel to balance the urgency of the rescue with the safety of the victims and operatives.
For the families, however, the priority remains clear: the safe return of their loved ones.
As negotiations and security operations continue, relatives are appealing for authorities to act quickly, particularly amid the reported allegations that the captives are being assaulted.
The incident has once again raised concerns over the safety of young Nigerians travelling for the NYSC programme and the wider security challenges along major roads in the country.
