Gunmen holding 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members kidnapped on the Owerri-Onitsha Road in Imo State have dropped their ransom demand from N50 million to N5 million per victim, cutting the total from N1 billion to N100 million, as parents raised fresh alarm over the physical abuse of those in captivity.
The victims were travelling from Ibadan to NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states on Thursday when armed men attacked their two buses near Umunoha. Among those named by parents are Makinde Mary Oluwapelumi, Akande Kehinde Morufat, Abdul Temiloluwa Sarah, Adeniran Mariam Olulola, Adefioye Ayomide Isaac, Adewale Paul Iyanuoluwa and Oyede Esther Funmilayo.
Parents Report Physical Abuse of Captives
One parent, Alhaja Alimot Akande, speaking through a daughter in Ibadan on Sunday, October 10, said the lower ransom figure had done little to ease anxiety, Vanguard reported.
"It has been horrible, scary and overwhelming," she said, adding that the situation worsened when she learnt the captors had started assaulting the victims. "They are not sparing anybody. They are beating all of them," she said.
Akande also revealed that kidnappers were using controlled phone calls as a tool to gauge which families could pay. One victim was allowed to speak to his father only when the captors decided it was worth their while. "Whenever his father calls, they show him that a call came in for you. They know money will come out of father's hands, so they would just pick it and allow him to talk," she said.
Security Agencies Close In on Camp
The Imo State Commissioner of Police, Audu Bosso, said operatives used drones on Friday to pinpoint the location where the victims were being held, but a move into the area was delayed after intelligence indicated the camp had been mined with improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
"Our predicament is that with the intel we have, the camp is mined with IEDs," he said, adding that bulldozers and armoured personnel carriers were being prepared for the operation.
The spokesperson for the 34 Artillery Brigade in Owerri, Major Hashimu Abdullahi, confirmed that all relevant security agencies were working together, Punch reported. "Every available avenue is being explored to ensure a positive outcome," he said.
Parties and Groups Demand Action
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) called for the NYSC scheme to be suspended for at least one year. Its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said the current security situation made a temporary halt and full reorganisation necessary, while accusing President Bola Tinubu of blaming security agencies instead of fixing underlying weaknesses.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC), under Peter Obi, and the Labour Party also demanded the immediate rescue of the victims. NDC's Osa Director cited Section 14(2) of the 1999 Constitution, which places the security of lives as the primary duty of government, while Labour Party's Ken Asogwa warned that Nigeria risked forgetting the corps members, as it had done with other abduction victims still in captivity.
Peter Obi, writing on his verified X account on Sunday, called for the "immediate and safe rescue of all the abducted corps members and the arrest of those responsible," saying young Nigerians should be able to travel and serve their country without fear.
The management of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, said at least three of its graduates were among those taken and expressed solidarity with their families, while the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, assured parents on Saturday that their children would be returned unharmed.
Insecurity: Tinubu Asked to Resign
Previously, Legit.ng reported that the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) senatorial candidate for Oyo Central, Olufemi Ajadi, demanded that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu resign from office and withdraw from the 2027 presidential race, citing the Federal Government's failure to contain escalating insecurity across Nigeria. Ajadi made the call on Thursday, October 1, in direct response to the kidnapping of 19 prospective NYSC members who were travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states. Gunmen attacked the two buses conveying the group along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in Umunoha, Imo State.
