Parents of 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members abducted while travelling from Oyo State to their respective orientation camps have revealed that the kidnappers demanded N1 billion for their release.
The families disclosed this on Saturday during a visit to the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, at his private residence in Bodija, Ibadan.
The delegation included the Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Abimbola, and the Aseyin of Iseyinland, Oba Sefiu Adeyeri.
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The victims, who were travelling from Ibadan on Thursday, were reportedly ambushed by gunmen along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in Umunoha, Imo State. The prospective corps members were said to have been travelling in two buses when the attackers struck.
According to the families, the abductors demanded N50 million for each victim, putting the total ransom at N1 billion.
The ransom demand was also confirmed on Friday by Isiah Akpan, Managing Director of Uko Akwa Ibom Motors Nigeria Limited.
Speaking on behalf of the affected families, Alhaja Akande and Oyebola Akande said the kidnappers had been contacting them using the phones of some of the abducted prospective corps members.
They said the abductors had given the families a 24-hour deadline to produce the demanded ransom, while threatening the lives of the victims if their demands were not met.
The parents appealed to Oba Ladoja and the police authorities to urgently intervene and secure the safe return of their children.
Responding, Ladoja assured the families that efforts were underway to rescue the victims safely. He also said relevant information gathered during the operation would be communicated to the families.
The Oyo State police commissioner said he had been communicating with his Imo State counterpart since the incident occurred.
According to Abimbola, the Imo State police command had assured him that efforts were being made to rescue the victims unharmed.
He did not, however, disclose whether any ransom had been paid or provide specific details about the ongoing operation.
Meanwhile, security agencies have stepped up efforts to locate the abducted prospective corps members and secure their release.
The Imo State Commissioner of Police, Audu Garba Bosso, said security operatives had deployed drones and identified a suspected location where the victims were being held.
He explained that the rescue operation had been temporarily delayed after intelligence indicated that improvised explosive devices (IEDs) had allegedly been planted around the suspected camp.
The development comes as the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, has deployed the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Operations, Shehu Nadada, to Imo State to coordinate the search-and-rescue operation.
