The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has called for an urgent investigation into the abduction of 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members. According to NANS, the abduction occurred when two buses carrying the corps members were travelling in convoy and stopped at a location, allowing armed men to emerge from the bush and abduct the victims. NANS National President, Comrade Akinteye Babatunde Afeez, issued a statement expressing concern over the circumstances surrounding the abduction.
NANS received information suggesting that one of the drivers stopped, claiming he wanted to give money to someone on the other side of the road, and the second bus stopped alongside the first. The association noted that neither of the two drivers was reportedly taken by the kidnappers, while the armed men were allegedly already positioned around the area where the buses stopped. These circumstances raised questions that required an urgent and transparent investigation, NANS said.
NANS called on relevant security agencies and government authorities to investigate the operations of UDUA KING Transport Service in connection with the incident. The association urged the authorities to consider suspending the company’s operations, where necessary, pending the conclusion of the investigation and determination of what transpired. NANS advised students and other travellers to exercise extreme caution and consider avoiding UDUA KING Transport Service.
The kidnappers reportedly reduced their ransom demand from N50 million to N5 million per victim, bringing the total ransom demanded for the 20 victims to N100 million. One of the affected parents, Alimot Akande, disclosed that the kidnappers had communicated the new demand to the families. Akande expressed concern over reports that the abducted corps members were being subjected to physical assault as the kidnappers pressured their families to raise the ransom.
Akande said the kidnappers had established contact with the respective parents of the victims using their mobile telephone lines. She, however, expressed concern over the condition of the victims, describing the situation as “horrible, scary and overwhelming.” Akande appealed to the government to intensify efforts to rescue the victims, saying her sister, 25-year-old Kehinde Akande, was among those abducted.
According to Akande, the kidnappers had begun beating the victims, and one of the abducted corps members had been allowed to communicate with his father to assess the family’s ability to raise the ransom. The affected families had been relying on assurances from the police while efforts continued to raise the ransom. Akande said the police were telling them to still be buying time and looking for the money.
NANS emphasized that the safety of students and young Nigerians travelling across the country remained a priority, and anyone found to have compromised the safety of the victims should be held accountable. The association's call for an investigation and potential suspension of UDUA KING Transport Service's operations underscores the need for authorities to take swift action to ensure the safe release of the abducted corps members and prevent similar incidents in the future.
Key points
- NANS demands investigation into UDUA KING Transport Service's role in the abduction of 20 NYSC members
- Kidnappers reduce ransom demand from N50 million to N5 million per victim
- Abducted corps members reportedly subjected to physical assault by kidnappers
