Imo NYSC Abduction Horror: Families Pay N120m Ransom for Freedom Amid Police Denial
Conflicting accounts have emerged regarding the release of 20 prospective NYSC members abducted in Imo State. While the police denied any ransom payment, attributing the release to intensified security operations, a family from Ibadan revealed they paid N6 million for their son's freedom. The victims were eventually released after six days in captivity following coordinated efforts by security agencies and state governments.
On October 1, 2023, 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members and another individual were abducted along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in the Umunoha area of Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State. The victims were traveling in two buses from Ibadan, Oyo State, to their respective NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states when gunmen intercepted their vehicles. This incident immediately triggered panic among the victims' families, leading to a coordinated search by security agencies.
The Imo State Police Command, through its Commissioner of Police, Audu Bosso, denied any knowledge of ransom payment for the victims' release. During an interview, Bosso stated that the abductors released the victims after security agencies intensified operations to locate their hideout. He explained that security personnel thoroughly combed the forest, putting immense pressure on the abductors until the victims were freed. Following their rescue, the victims were attended to at the office of the Department of State Services (DSS).
Security efforts involved a comprehensive search, with police initially reporting that drone surveillance helped operatives identify the kidnappers' camp. However, access to the location was reportedly delayed due to intelligence indicating that the area had been planted with improvised explosive devices (IEDs). To facilitate a safe rescue, security agencies deployed additional operational resources, including bulldozers and armoured personnel carriers. The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, also dispatched the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Operations, Shehu Nadada, to coordinate the search-and-rescue mission in Imo State.
However, a contrasting account emerged from the family of one of the abducted prospective corps members in Ibadan, Oyo State. The victim's mother disclosed in an interview that they paid the equivalent of N6 million in dollars to the gunmen for her son's release. She narrated how the abductors initially demanded N50 million for each victim, totaling N1 billion, and allowed the victims to speak with their families to confirm they were alive. The families' initial offer of N500,000 was rejected, with the abductors threatening to kill the victims.
The mother further explained that parents of the victims in Ibadan held a meeting and agreed to raise and transport the ransom to Imo State, converting the funds to dollars. She confirmed that her son's brother was part of the negotiating team that traveled to Imo State with relatives of other victims to ensure the payment and release. Describing the ordeal as traumatic, she emphasized her distress over her child's abduction rather than the financial loss, stating, "No money can't buy a child."
After six days in captivity, the 20 prospective corps members and the other victim regained their freedom on October 7, 2023. They were subsequently taken to a medical facility in Owerri for attention, and the NYSC Director-General, Brigadier-General Olakunle Oluseye Nafiu, visited them. Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, commended the security agencies involved in the operation and lauded the cooperation between the Imo and Oyo state governments, attributing the successful release to their joint efforts.