Parents of the 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members abducted in Imo State say they paid millions of naira before their children regained freedom, disputing the police account that a joint security operation secured their release.
Some relatives said they paid ₦3 million, while others reported raising ₦6 million. Parents also alleged that the abductors demanded payment in United States dollars.
The Nigeria Police Force, however, said security agencies rescued the victims on Wednesday, October 7, following sustained operations. The Imo State Police Command denied knowledge of any ransom payment.
The graduates were abducted on October 1 while travelling from Ibadan to NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states. Their captivity had prompted earlier concerns over ransom demands and conflicting accounts of rescue efforts.
Parents describe borrowing money to secure release
One mother said she struggled to raise ₦3 million while fearing for her child’s safety.
“I paid as much as ₦3 million as ransom while I was hoping that nothing happened to my child. I ran helter-skelter to raise the money. I eventually got the money and sent someone to deliver the ransom directly to them,” she said.
Another parent, a farmer, said relatives gathered in Ibadan to raise ₦6 million, leaving him with a debt despite the relief of his son’s release.
“We had to converge somewhere in Ibadan, Oyo State, to put the money together. Some of us even changed the money to dollars and sent it to Imo State to meet whoever was coming to pick it. I am excited that my son is coming back. However, how do I repay the ₦6 million I borrowed? I’m just a farmer,” he said.
Mother recounts negotiations with abductors
Speaking in Yoruba during an interview with News Central Television, another mother said the kidnappers initially demanded ₦50 million for each captive.
She said the families pleaded for a reduction, but the abductors rejected their initial offers and continued threatening them.
According to her, a later demand of ₦15 million was eventually reduced to ₦6 million after further negotiations.
“We kept begging them that all we had was ₦5.5 million. They said no and insisted on ₦6 million. So, it’s that ₦6 million we paid,” she said.
The mother said her husband and the victim’s elder brother participated in arrangements to deliver the money. She described sleeplessness and illness throughout the ordeal, followed by profound relief when she learnt that her child had been released.
Parent alleges ransom was delivered in dollars
In a separate interview with BBC News Yoruba, a parent who requested anonymity said families, friends and online supporters contributed towards the payments.
The parent disputed claims that security agencies alone secured the release, alleging that the Department of State Services (DSS) knew the families were converting money into dollars for delivery to the kidnappers.
That allegation represents the parent’s account. No DSS response to it was included in the statements available for this report.
Police maintain security operation secured freedom
Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Ani Iniedu, said the victims were rescued at Amakohia Ubi Village in Imo State and taken for medical assessment and care.
“The Nigeria Police Force, in collaboration with sister security agencies, has rescued the 20 prospective NYSC corps members abducted in Imo State on 1st October 2026. The victims were rescued on 7th October 2026 at Amakohia Ubi Village, Imo State, following sustained search-and-rescue operations,” the statement said.
The police said operations were continuing to identify, arrest and prosecute those responsible.
Speaking with Channels Television, Imo State Commissioner of Police Audu Bosso denied knowledge of ransom payments for the prospective corps members and another victim who regained freedom.
“The kidnappers eventually succumbed to pressure from security agencies, which combed the forest in a sustained rescue operation,” Bosso said.
He maintained that tactical teams forced the kidnappers to abandon their captives and flee. The parents’ accounts and the police statements therefore differ over the circumstances that led to the release.
Freed graduates return to Ibadan
The 20 prospective corps members subsequently arrived in Ibadan and were taken to the DSS office in the Aleshinloye area of Ibadan South-West Local Government Area for debriefing.
At the time of the report, representatives of the parents were allowed into the premises, while other relatives and sympathisers waited outside.
The Olubadan’s palace also confirmed that the victims had regained their freedom.
One mother said she would only allow her child to continue national service if redeployed to Oyo or Ogun State, expressing concern about a return to the original posting.
Abduction renews concern over travel safety
The victims had been travelling in two buses when they were intercepted at Ogbaku, in Mbaitoli Local Government Area, along the Owerri–Onitsha Expressway.
The incident adds to concerns about the safety of graduates travelling for national service. The Bureau Journal has reported on ransom demands following an NYSC-related abduction in Kogi, the rescue of 11 victims after an attack on travellers in the state and a subsequent operation that freed 21 victims.
Security concerns have also prompted a police alert concerning threats to schools and NYSC camps.
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