Nineteen prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom have been abducted by gunmen in Imo State.
The victims were travelling in two buses when the attackers intercepted them along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in Umunoha, Imo State.
The kidnappers have reportedly demanded N50m for each victim, bringing the total ransom demand to N950m.
The Managing Director of Uko Akwa Ibom Motors Nigeria Limited, Isiah Akpan, whose company operates the buses, confirmed the incident.
He said the buses departed from Bodija/Samonda Park in Ibadan but were delayed by traffic around Benin, Edo State.
According to Akpan, the vehicles eventually reached Onitsha, Anambra State, late in the day and could not continue because of the condition of the road.
The passengers and drivers reportedly spent the night in Oba before resuming their journey.
Akpan said the buses had barely entered Imo State when the gunmen emerged from the bush.
“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 launch a search.
Akpan, however, said the operation was initially delayed after some villagers allegedly prevented security personnel from moving the abandoned buses from the scene.
The buses were eventually left at the scene, with passengers’ belongings scattered inside.
Families receive ransom demands
Some of the victims’ families have reportedly been contacted by the abductors, who demanded N50m for each person.
A parent, who asked not to be named for security reasons, said the kidnappers contacted her through her son’s phone.
“The kidnappers called with my son’s phone this morning (Friday) and demanded N50m for his release. The N50m is for only my son,” she said.
Another mother, Mrs Oladosu, said her daughter, Greatness, who was travelling to Uyo, was among the victims.
She said the abductors briefly contacted the family through her daughter’s phone, allowing relatives to see Greatness and other corps members during a video call.
“We saw her and other corps members sitting on the ground in the bush, crying. Where will petty traders get N50m? They are just going to serve Nigeria; why this punishment?” she said.
Mrs Alimotu Akanke, whose son Akande Farouq was travelling to Abia State, said her son sent a one-word message, “Kidnappers!”, to the family WhatsApp group before his phone went dead.
A manifest from the two buses listed 30 passengers, with 15 passengers in each vehicle.
Two other buses belonging to the same company and travelling towards Abia State reportedly escaped the attack.
The Imo State Police Command said 10 victims had been rescued following the incident.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Henry Okoye, said security agencies were pursuing the abductors and had launched a coordinated search operation for the remaining victims.
However, Okoye did not confirm whether the 10 rescued people were among the abducted prospective corps members.
The Oyo State Government condemned the abduction and said it was working with security agencies, the Imo State Government and NYSC leadership to secure the victims’ release.
The Commissioner for Information, Dotun Oyelade, said Governor Seyi Makinde had directed that all necessary resources be deployed towards securing their safe return.
“We are fully committed to securing the safe release of our children and will stop at nothing to ensure that they are reunited with their families without harm,” the statement said.
The government urged affected families to remain calm and called on security agencies to intensify efforts to rescue the victims and arrest those responsible.
Friends launch campaigns for victims
Friends of some of the abducted prospective corps members have also launched social media campaigns seeking support for their rescue.
One victim was identified as Precious Oladipupo, a graduate of Obafemi Awolowo University.
Other social media users appealed for the safe release of alleged victims including Wahab Ayandare and Oyindamola Adeoye.
Security experts call for NYSC deployment review
The latest incident has renewed concerns over the safety of prospective corps members travelling across states for their mandatory service.
Security analyst Chidi Omeje said criminal networks could be exploiting information about NYSC mobilisation and deployment schedules.
“Everyone has information about the mobilisation of corps members; criminals can use that to plan coordinated attacks,” he said.
Omeje urged the Federal Government and NYSC to strengthen security arrangements for corps members travelling through known kidnapping corridors.
Security expert Olalekan Jackson-Ojo called for a review of the deployment system, suggesting that corps members could be allowed to serve within their states or regions rather than being posted to high-risk areas.
Educationist Dele Olapeju said repeated kidnappings were weakening public confidence in the NYSC scheme, with some parents increasingly seeking redeployment for their children.
The latest abduction follows several previous attacks involving prospective and serving corps members travelling to orientation camps, raising fresh concerns about security along major interstate routes.
The NYSC Director of Public Relations, Caroline Embu, had not responded to enquiries about the latest incident as of press time.
