Crisis Escalates: Kidnappers Demand Ransom for 20 NYSC Members as Police Reveal Inability to Act
Police in Imo State have identified the location of approximately 19 abducted prospective National Youth Service Corps members, though the camp is reportedly mined with IEDs. Simultaneously, the abductors have demanded a significant ransom from the victims' parents, prompting appeals to authorities and ongoing inter-state police coordination for their safe rescue.
About 19 prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members, who were abducted on Thursday, 6:30 a.m., along the Owerri-Onitsha Road by Umunoha in Imo State, are currently held captive. These individuals were traveling from Ibadan, Oyo State, en route to their orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states when the incident occurred. Following the abduction, the police initially reported rescuing 10 victims at the scene with the intervention of security agencies, while efforts continued to verify the exact number of individuals still in captivity.
The Imo State Commissioner of Police, Audu Bosso, confirmed that the police have successfully identified the location where the abductees are being held. Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Mr. Bosso disclosed that security operatives utilized drones on Friday to locate the suspected camp after trailing the abductors into a bush. However, a significant challenge has emerged: intelligence indicates that the identified camp is mined with Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), prompting extreme caution from security agencies.
Commissioner Bosso explained the predicament, stating, "Any moment, we will still move into the bush. Yesterday (Friday) we were in the bush; we trailed them up to a particular location. But at that point in time, we couldn’t move into where the coordinates showed us where they (abductors) are, because we ran drones yesterday. And the drone actually showed us exactly their location. But our predicament is that with the intel we have, the camp is mined with IEDs.” To overcome this obstacle and ensure the victims' safe rescue, the police chief affirmed that security operatives are preparing to move into the area with heavy equipment, including bulldozers and armoured personnel carriers (APCs).
In a parallel development, the gunmen responsible for the abduction have issued a 24-hour ultimatum to the parents of the kidnapped prospective corps members, demanding a substantial ransom. The parents reported that the abductors, using the mobile lines of their children, initially demanded N1 billion each, a figure later clarified by the parents as N50 million each. They were also threatened that severe harm would come to their children if the ransom was not paid within the stipulated time frame.
Distressed by the threats, the parents visited the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, 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. Speaking on behalf of the parents, Alhaja Alimot Akande and Oyebola Michael Akande pleaded for timely intervention, highlighting the impossibility of raising such a large sum. The Olubadan assured the parents that their children would be rescued unharmed, stating that police were working tirelessly. CP Abimbola confirmed that he had contacted his counterpart in Imo State, and collaborative efforts were in top gear to secure the victims' release. As of now, no specific group has claimed responsibility for the abduction.