KIDNAPPERS OF 20 OYO PROSPECTIVE CORPS MEMBERS GIVE PARENTS 24 HOURS TO PAY N1BN RANSOM

Kidnappers who abducted 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members travelling from Oyo State to their orientation camps have reportedly given their families 24 hours to raise a total ransom of N1 billion for their release.

The abductors reportedly demanded N50 million for each of the 20 graduates and threatened to harm the victims if the families failed to meet the demand within the stipulated period.

The affected parents disclosed the latest development on Saturday when they visited the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, at his private residence in Bodija, Ibadan, seeking urgent intervention to secure the release of their children.

The parents were accompanied during the visit by the Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Abimbola, and the Aseyin of Iseyinland, Oba Sefiu Adeyeri.

The prospective corps members were abducted on Thursday after gunmen attacked two buses conveying them from Ibadan to their respective NYSC orientation camps along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in the Umunoha area of Imo State.

Speaking on behalf of the affected families, Alhaja Akande and Oyebola Akande said the kidnappers had been contacting them through the mobile phones of some of the abducted graduates.

The parents said the abductors had demanded N50 million for each victim and warned that something could happen to the victims if the ransom was not paid.

The families appealed for urgent assistance, saying they could not raise such a huge amount within the short period given by the kidnappers. They also expressed fears for the safety of the young graduates.

Responding to the parents, the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, assured them that security agencies were working to rescue the victims alive and unharmed.

Ladoja said the police were working around the clock and assured the families that information gathered during the rescue efforts would be communicated to them.

The Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Abimbola, also said he had been in contact with his Imo State counterpart, Audu Garba Bosso, since the abduction occurred.

Abimbola said the Imo State Police Command had assured him that efforts were being made to rescue the victims safely. He did not, however, disclose whether any ransom had been paid or provide specific details about the ongoing operation.

Meanwhile, the Imo State Police Command has reportedly identified the suspected kidnappers’ hideout through the use of drones.

The Imo State Commissioner of Police said on Saturday that security operatives had located the suspected camp where the remaining victims were believed to be held.

However, Bosso said the rescue operation had been delayed by intelligence indicating that the area had been planted with improvised explosive devices, raising concerns over the safety of both the hostages and security personnel attempting to reach them.

The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, has also deployed the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Operations, Shehu Nadada, to Imo State to coordinate the search-and-rescue operation and strengthen efforts to secure the victims’ release.

The abduction has heightened concerns over the safety of travellers along major highways in the South-East, particularly as the victims were travelling to begin their mandatory one-year national service.

There has also been uncertainty over the exact number of people initially abducted from the two buses, with some reports giving different figures regarding the passengers and those subsequently rescued. Channels Television, for example, reported that security agencies said 10 people had been rescued, although it noted that details about whether all those rescued were among the prospective corps members remained unclear.

The affected families are now appealing for urgent intervention from government authorities and security agencies as the reported 24-hour deadline places additional pressure on efforts to secure the safe release of the abducted graduates.

Street News Reporters reports that the ransom demand and the reported location of the suspected kidnappers’ camp have increased the urgency of the ongoing rescue operation, while authorities continue efforts to secure the victims’ safe return.