Ten prospective members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) who were kidnapped while traveling to the Orientation Camp in Abia State have escaped from their captors. The incident occurred on Thursday, October 1, when gunmen attacked two buses conveying prospective corps members along the Owerri-Onitsha Expressway in Imo State. According to the parents of the victims, the kidnappers had given them a 24-hour ultimatum to pay N50 million for each of the remaining 20 victims, amounting to N1 billion.
The parents of the victims made the disclosure when they visited the Bodija residence of the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, on Saturday, seeking his intervention in securing the release of their children. Alhaja Alimot Akande and Oyebola Michael Akande, who spoke on behalf of the other parents in attendance, said 10 of the 30 passengers on board the two vehicles were lucky to have escaped through the bush. They said they learnt about the attack through a post made on social media by one of the escapees.
The parents also alleged that the transport company that owned the buses did not cooperate with them, refusing to provide the manifest of the passengers. They said they had asked the company to produce the drivers of the two vehicles who managed to escape the attacks, but they declined. The parents said they were in contact with some of their children until late on Wednesday, and they had advised them to sleep inside the bus due to the prevailing security situation in the country.
The Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, assured the parents that their children would be rescued unharmed. He said the police were working round the clock to secure their rescue and promised to keep the parents informed of any developments. The Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Abimbola, also assured the parents that efforts were in top gear to secure the victims' rescue. He said he had already contacted his counterpart in Imo State and was working closely with him to ensure the safe release of the victims.
The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Olatunji Rilwan Disu, has ordered the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Operations, DIG Shehu Umar Nadada, to Imo State to coordinate the rescue of the abducted prospective corps members and other passengers. DIG Nadada arrived in Imo State with two Commissioners of Police and conducted an on-the-spot assessment of the situation and ongoing search-and-rescue efforts.
The assessment was conducted alongside the Imo State Commissioner of Police, Audu Bosso; the Commissioner of Police in charge of Federal Operations, Akpan Anitiok; the Commissioner of Police in charge of the Police Mobile Force; other service commanders; and members of the Management Team of the Imo State Police Command. The DIG also reviewed the operational strategies, deployment of personnel, and operational assets, while issuing further directives to strengthen the coordinated response.
The police have made significant efforts to rescue the abducted corps members, with a drone locating the kidnappers' hideout. However, the hideout was mined with Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), making it challenging for the police to access. The police are working to secure the safe release of the remaining victims, and the parents are anxiously waiting for their children to be brought home.
Key points
- The kidnappers have given the parents a 24-hour ultimatum to pay N1 billion in ransom.
- The police are working round the clock to secure the rescue of the abducted prospective corps members.
- Ten out of the 30 prospective NYSC members kidnapped have escaped through the bush.
