The mother of one of the 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members recently abducted in Imo State has revealed that her family paid a ₦6 million ransom to secure her son’s release. The disclosure comes just days after the police announced the successful recovery of the captives.
Alirat Wahab, the victim’s mother, confirmed that representatives of the affected families, including her husband and elder son, travelled to Ibadan, Oyo State, to deliver the ransom, claiming that the kidnappers released her son shortly after the payment was confirmed.
Speaking during a television interview on Thursday with News Central Television, Wahab explained that the abductors initially demanded ₦50 million for each victim.
“Initially, they asked us to pay N50 million per head. We asked whether the amount was for all of them, but they insisted that no, it was for each person,” she stated.
Wahab noted that the family pleaded with the abductors to accept ₦500,000, which was outrightly rejected. The captors subsequently lowered the demand to ₦15 million before finally accepting ₦6 million after negotiations.
Wahab described the severe physical and emotional toll the abduction took on her:
“Since he was kidnapped, I have been stooling. I couldn’t sleep either. But I was relieved when I heard they had been released. It was as though the chains all over me were loosened,” she said.
The Nigeria Police Force had on Wednesday announced the safe rescue of the 20 prospective corps members at Amakohia Ubi Village in Imo State, crediting the recovery to a coordinated joint operation involving the police, the military, and the Department of State Services (DSS).
The Imo State Commissioner of Police, Audu Bosso, previously stated that operatives located the kidnappers’ camp using drone surveillance. He explained that security forces were initially unable to launch a ground assault because the perimeter was mined with improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
The young graduates were attacked in Imo State while travelling from Ibadan to their respective orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states. Security agencies urged the public to stay calm that efforts are ongoing to track down the perpetrators and to bring them to book.
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