Families of prospective National Youth Service Corps members abducted along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in Imo State are facing heightened anxiety after their captors reportedly demanded a combined N950 million ransom for the release of 19 victims.
The graduates were travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom when gunmen intercepted two buses around Umunoha in Mbaitoli Local Government Area on Thursday.
The reported ransom demand came as security agencies continued a search operation for those still missing, while police confirmed that 10 people had been rescued following the attack. The police have, however, said the exact number of people abducted remains under verification and have not confirmed whether the 10 rescued victims were among the prospective corps members.
The Managing Director of Uko Akwa Ibom Motors Nigeria Limited, Isiah Akpan, whose company operated the buses, said the abductors demanded N50 million for each of the 19 corps members reportedly taken into the bush.
Gunmen Intercept Buses in Imo
Akpan said the two buses left Bodija/Samonda Park in Ibadan on Wednesday and were delayed by traffic around Benin, Edo State.
The vehicles later reached Onitsha, Anambra State, where the drivers and passengers spent the night because of the condition of the road. They resumed the journey at about 5am on Thursday.
The buses had barely entered Imo State when armed men emerged from the bush and blocked them, Akpan said.
“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, prompting police and military personnel to begin a search for the abducted passengers.
Akpan said the response was initially delayed after some villagers allegedly prevented security personnel from moving the abandoned buses from the scene.
The two vehicles were eventually recovered, with passengers’ belongings reportedly left inside.
Police Rescue 10, Deploy More Officers
The Imo State Police Command said 10 victims had been rescued after tactical teams and other security agencies launched a coordinated search-and-rescue operation.
Police spokesman Henry Okoye said the rescued victims were safe and receiving attention, while the operation continued to locate those still in captivity and apprehend the suspected abductors.
The command has not confirmed that all the reported 19 victims were prospective corps members, saying the total number of people abducted was still being established.
The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, has since deployed the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Operations, Shehu Nadada, to Imo State to coordinate the rescue operation.
Nadada arrived in the state with two Commissioners of Police and assessed the scene and ongoing security response before issuing additional directives to strengthen the operation.
Families Receive Ransom Demands
The reported N950 million demand has intensified fears among relatives of the missing graduates.
One parent, who asked not to be identified for security reasons, said the abductors contacted her through her son’s phone and demanded N50 million for his release.
Another mother, Mrs Oladosu, said her daughter, Greatness, was travelling to Uyo when the attack occurred. She said the abductors briefly contacted the family and allowed relatives to see Greatness and other victims during a video call.
She said the sight of the corps members sitting on the ground in the bush had left the family deeply distressed.
The mother of another victim, Akande Farouq, said her son, who was posted to Abia State, managed to send a one-word message, “Kidnappers!”, to the family’s WhatsApp group before his phone became unreachable.
Friends and relatives of some of the victims have also launched appeals on social media for their safe release.
Oyo Government Seeks Safe Release
The Oyo State Government has condemned the abduction and said it is working with security agencies, the Imo State Government and NYSC authorities to secure the victims’ release.
Commissioner for Information and Orientation Dotun Oyelade said Governor Seyi Makinde had directed that necessary resources be deployed towards the rescue effort.
The government also urged affected families to remain calm while calling on security agencies to intensify operations to locate those still missing and arrest the perpetrators.
The incident has renewed concerns over the safety of graduates travelling across states to attend NYSC orientation camps.
It also follows several recent cases involving prospective and serving corps members. In August, 15 prospective corps members were among people abducted along the Aloma-Egane Expressway in Kogi State before security forces rescued them from Egume Forest.
Earlier this year, other corps members were abducted while travelling to their states of deployment, raising continued concerns over the security of interstate routes used by participants in the national service scheme.
For now, security agencies are continuing efforts to establish the exact number of people still in captivity and secure their release.
