Families of 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members abducted in Imo State have raised fresh concerns over the safety of the victims after the kidnappers allegedly began beating them.
The graduates were abducted on Thursday while travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to their respective NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states.
One of the affected relatives, Alhaja Alimot Akande, said her 25-year-old sister, Kehinde Akande, is among the victims.
Akande described the situation as “horrible, scary and overwhelming” and appealed to the government to intensify efforts to rescue the abducted graduates.
Kidnappers Reduce Ransom to N5m Each
According to Akande, the kidnappers have reduced their initial ransom demand from N50 million per victim to N5 million each.
“They are still demanding N5 million. They have come down to N5 million each,” she said.
Asked whether the N5 million was being demanded for each of the 20 abducted graduates, Akande confirmed that the ransom was being demanded individually.
She said she could not confirm how much money had been raised so far because she was not involved in arrangements between the abductors and other families.
Relatives Say Victims Are Being Beaten
Akande said her sister informed her that the kidnappers had started beating the victims.
“Sir, we appeal to the government to please assist us in getting them rescued out of that place. When I spoke to my sister, they started beating them since yesterday,” she said.
She was also asked whether the female victims were being spared.
“They are not sparing anybody. They are beating all of them,” she replied.
The allegation has heightened concerns among relatives who have been seeking government and security intervention to secure the victims’ release.
Akande also disclosed that one of the abducted prospective corps members had been allowed to speak with his father.
She alleged that the kidnappers monitored the communication and used the calls to assess the family’s ability to raise the ransom.
According to her, the victim was allowed to speak whenever his father called, while the abductors remained aware of the conversations.
Families Rely on Police Assurances
The affected families have continued to seek assistance while waiting for the authorities to secure the victims’ release.
Akande said the police had been asking the families to buy more time as efforts continued to raise the demanded ransom.
“The police are telling us to still be buying time. We are still looking for the money. Depending, they will see them rescued,” she said.
She confirmed that her own family was directly affected, identifying her abducted sister as Kehinde, 25.
Oyo Government Engages Imo Authorities
Meanwhile, the Oyo State Government said it was maintaining contact with the Imo State Government and security agencies as efforts intensified to rescue the abducted graduates.
The Oyo State Commissioner for Information, Prince Dotun Oyelade, said the government was actively involved despite the abduction occurring outside Oyo State.
He said the state was drawing on its experience from the recent abduction of students and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area in its engagement with authorities in Imo.
“We are in close contacts at government-to-government level and actively with the security apparatus in Oyo and Imo states,” Oyelade said.
The commissioner said Oyo State was also sharing its experience from the Oriire kidnapping and using the findings of the Judicial Inquiry Panel headed by Justice (Professor) Mojeed Owoade in its discussions with Imo authorities.
However, Oyelade said the government would not disclose every aspect of its strategy because of the sensitive nature of the rescue operation.
“Governments all over the world are not in the habit of disclosing all they are planning in delicate situations like this,” he said.
Oyo Commissioner Calls for Federal Government Action
Oyelade said the broader national security response should be addressed by the Federal Government and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.
He questioned what had been done at the federal level within the first 72 hours following the abduction.
The commissioner also recalled Governor Seyi Makinde’s intervention in the abduction of students in Borno State, noting that the Borno incident occurred on the same day as the Oriire abduction.
According to Oyelade, Makinde had appealed to the Federal Government to accelerate efforts to rescue the abducted Borno students.
He reaffirmed that the Oyo State Government would continue working to secure the release of its citizens despite the incident occurring in Imo State.
“Oyo State Government had not and will not abandon its citizens. We will continue to work endlessly and desperately to secure the release of our children,” he said.
How the 20 Graduates Were Abducted
The 20 prospective corps members were travelling from Ibadan to their respective NYSC orientation camps when gunmen reportedly attacked the two buses carrying them.
The incident occurred along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in Umunoha, Imo State.
The graduates were reportedly travelling to orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states when they were abducted.
The incident sparked anxiety among their families, particularly after the kidnappers initially demanded N50 million for each victim.
For 20 victims, the initial demand amounted to N1 billion.
The kidnappers reportedly issued a 24-hour ultimatum to the families to raise the money.
Parents Seek Olubadan’s Intervention
Following the initial ransom demand, parents of the abducted graduates sought the intervention of the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja.
The parents visited the monarch at his private residence in Bodija, Ibadan, accompanied by the Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Abimbola, and the Aseyin of Iseyinland, Oba Sefiu Adeyeri.
The parents told the monarch they could not raise the N1 billion ransom demanded by the kidnappers and appealed for his intervention.
Ladoja assured the families that efforts were being made to secure the victims’ safe release.
He said information gathered during the rescue efforts would be communicated to the families and expressed confidence in the police’s efforts.
Police Maintain Contact With Imo Command
The Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Abimbola, also said he had remained in contact with his Imo counterpart since the abduction.
“I had already contacted Imo State CP. We have been talking since the day of incident, and he assured me that the victims would be rescued unhurt,” Abimbola said.
The families are now awaiting further action from the security agencies as efforts continue to locate and rescue the 20 abducted graduates.
The latest allegation that the victims are being beaten has intensified calls for urgent intervention, while the reduction of the ransom demand to N5 million per victim has also placed renewed pressure on the affected families and authorities.