The mother of one of the prospective members of the National Youth Service Corps abducted along the Owerri-Onitsha Expressway, Imo State, has revealed that she paid N6 million ransom to secure her son’s release.
The woman, whose identity was withheld during an interview with News Central Television on Wednesday, said the kidnappers initially demanded N50 million for each of their victims before eventually reducing the ransom demanded from her family to N6 million.
She said the abductors initially refused pleas for a lower ransom, leaving families of the victims scrambling to raise money for the release of their loved ones.
“Initially, they asked us to pay N50 million per head. We asked whether the amount was for all of them, but they insisted that it was for each person,” she said.
The mother said the family later pleaded with the kidnappers to accept N500,000, but the criminals rejected the offer.
According to her, the abductors subsequently contacted the family three days before the victims were released and demanded N15 million.
She said, “Three days ago, they called and said we should pay N15 million. We kept begging them that all we had was N5.5 million. They said no and insisted on N6 million. So, it’s that N6 million we paid.”
The mother disclosed that the abductors directed the parents of the victims to send representatives to Ibadan for the ransom negotiation.
She said her husband and elder son were among those who went to meet the abductors’ representatives.
“They called all the parents of all the victims. Twenty of them are in the bush. They then asked us to send three persons each to meet with them in Ibadan. My husband and my son’s elder brother went.
“When they got to the meeting place, they asked them to send the money to an account and that when they got to Imo State, they should change the money into dollars,” she added.
The distraught mother said her elder son eventually took the ransom to the kidnappers and later informed the family that the abductors had released his younger brother.
“It is not rumours. They have all been released and sent to us. His brother is among the people who went to meet with the abductors three days ago. They left with the ransom.
“It was the brother who called us this evening to say that they had handed the ransom to the kidnappers and that they had released our son. We also spoke to the boy,” she said.
She also recounted the emotional toll of the abduction, saying she could neither sleep nor maintain her normal health during the period her son was held captive.
“Since he was kidnapped, I have been stooling. I couldn’t sleep either. But I was relieved when I heard they had been released. It was as though the chains all over me were loosened,” she said.
How 20 prospective corps members were abducted
The prospective corps members were abducted in the early hours of October 1 after gunmen attacked two 18-seater buses conveying passengers from Ibadan, Oyo State.
The buses, reportedly travelling to Akwa Ibom and Abia states, were intercepted along the Owerri-Onitsha Expressway before the attackers reportedly forced some of the passengers into the forest.
A viral video shared on X showed passengers allegedly being robbed after the vehicles, which were branded with the Abia State Government logo, were intercepted.
Confirming the incident, the Imo State Police Public Relations Officer, Henry Okoye, said the attack occurred at about 6:30am.
Okoye said 10 victims were rescued shortly after the attack, while security operatives launched a search-and-rescue operation for those taken into the forest.
The development sparked anxiety among the families of the remaining victims, particularly after the kidnappers reportedly contacted them and demanded a huge ransom.
On Saturday, the abductors allegedly demanded N1 billion within 24 hours for the release of the victims before subsequently reducing the demand to N5 million per person, amounting to N100 million for the 20 victims.
Following the development, the Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, deployed the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Operations, Shehu Nadada, to Imo State to coordinate the rescue operation.
The Nigeria Police Force spokesperson, Anietie Iniedu, said Nadada, alongside two commissioners of police, carried out an on-the-spot assessment and reviewed the deployment of personnel and operational assets.
The police later announced the rescue of the remaining victims.
According to the force, the victims were rescued on October 7 at Amakohia Ubi Village, Imo State, following sustained search-and-rescue operations involving operatives of the Department of State Services, military and police.
The police said the rescued victims had been taken for medical assessment and necessary care.
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