Kidnappers give 24 hour ultimatum, demand ₦1bn ransom for 20 NYSC corps members

Gunmen who abducted 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members traveling from Oyo State have given their families a 24-hour deadline to pay a ₦1 billion ransom.

The prospective corps members were traveling from Ibadan to their orientation camps on Thursday when armed men ambushed two buses conveying them along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in Umunoha, Imo State.

The abductors are demanding ₦50 million for each graduate, bringing the total sum to ₦1 billion.

Distraught parents visited the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, at his residence in Ibadan on Saturday to plead for emergency intervention. Speaking on behalf of the families, Alhaja Akande and Oyebola Akande said the kidnappers have been calling them repeatedly through the victims’ phones.

“They are threatening that anything untoward will happen to our children if we fail to heed their request…There is no way we can raise such an amount at this period. Baba, kindly assist us. Don’t let them kill our children”, they appealed.

Oba Ladoja assured the families that security forces are working to bring the victims back safely, urging them to remain calm.

Police Commissioner Abimbola also confirmed he is coordinating directly with the Imo State Police Command, in order to secure their release.

Meanwhile, security agencies have already located the hideout of the abductors in Imo State using drone surveillance but are holding off on a direct raid because intelligence shows the camp is planted with improvised explosive devices (IEDs).