Ransom for 20 Abducted NYSC Members Slashed to N100m

Twenty prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members were kidnapped on the Owerri-Onitsha Road while traveling from Ibadan to orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states on Thursday. The kidnappers initially demanded a ransom of N1bn but have since reduced it to N100m, or N5m per victim.

Parents of the victims, including Makinde Mary Oluwapelumi and Akande Kehinde Morufat, have raised alarms over the physical abuse of their children in captivity. Alhaja Alimot Akande, a parent, reported that kidnappers are using controlled phone calls to assess which families can pay the ransom.

Imo State Commissioner Audu Bosso stated that security operatives used drones to locate the victims but delayed action due to intelligence about improvised explosive devices in the area. The 34 Artillery Brigade's spokesperson, Major Hashimu Abdullahi, confirmed that all relevant security agencies are collaborating.

Political parties, including the African Democratic Congress and Labour Party, have called for the immediate rescue of the victims and criticized the government's handling of security.