By Isiaka Mustapha, Editor-in-Chief, People’s Security Monitor<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Families of 19 prospective members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) abducted by gunmen in Imo State have been thrown into anguish following a demand of N950 million ransom by their captors. The victims, who were travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to their respective orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states, were seized along the Owerri Onitsha Road in the Umunoha area of Imo State on Thursday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Information gathered indicated that the abductors have established contact with some of the victims’ relatives and are demanding N50 million for the release of each captive. The development has heightened fears among family members, many of whom say they are unable to raise such enormous sums while appealing to security agencies to intensify rescue efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The victims were travelling in two commercial buses conveying prospective corps members to their places of primary assignment when the attackers reportedly emerged from the surrounding bush and intercepted the vehicles. The gunmen subsequently forced 19 passengers into the forest, leaving behind personal belongings and luggage scattered inside the buses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Managing Director of the transport company involved in the journey, Mr Isiah Akpan, explained that the buses departed Bodija and Samonda Park in Ibadan on Wednesday but encountered heavy traffic around Benin City, causing significant delays. According to him, the vehicles arrived in Onitsha late in the evening and were unable to continue the journey because of poor road conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He stated that the drivers and passengers spent the night in Oba, Anambra State, before resuming their trip at about 5 a.m. on Thursday. Shortly after entering Imo State, the vehicles were reportedly ambushed by armed men who blocked the road and whisked away the young travellers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Akpan disclosed that the drivers escaped from the scene and quickly alerted security personnel at a nearby checkpoint. This prompted a joint response involving security agencies, which immediately launched a search operation in the area in a bid to locate and rescue the victims.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He, however, noted that the operation initially encountered challenges, alleging that some residents resisted attempts by security personnel to move the abandoned buses from the scene. The delay, he said, affected the speed with which operatives could pursue the kidnappers immediately after the attack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Imo State Police Command later announced that 10 persons had been rescued during ongoing operations. Police authorities stated that security agencies were sustaining coordinated efforts to track down the abductors and secure the release of those still in captivity. However, officials did not immediately confirm whether the rescued individuals were among the abducted corps members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the parents, who requested anonymity for security reasons, said the kidnappers contacted her through her son’s mobile phone and demanded N50 million for his freedom. The distraught mother appealed to the authorities to intervene, describing the ransom demand as impossible for her family to meet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another parent, Mrs Oladosu, whose daughter Greatness was among those travelling to Uyo, said the family briefly communicated with the victims through a video call initiated by the abductors. According to her, the captives were seen sitting on the ground in a forested area, visibly distressed and pleading for help. She questioned how ordinary families and small scale traders could raise such huge sums for the release of children who were merely travelling to fulfil their national service obligations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A particularly emotional account came from Mrs Alimotu Akanke, mother of Akande Farouq, who was posted to Abia State. She revealed that she had been monitoring her son’s journey when he suddenly sent a single alarming message to the family WhatsApp group. The message simply read, “Kidnappers!” Moments later, all communication with him ceased, leaving the family devastated and desperate for news of his whereabouts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Records from the transport company’s passenger manifest showed that the two affected buses carried a total of 30 passengers, with 15 occupants in each vehicle. Two other buses travelling on the same route reportedly escaped the attack. Families of the abducted prospective corps members have continued to appeal to the Federal Government, security agencies and well meaning Nigerians to ensure the safe return of the victims and bring the perpetrators to justice.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Isiaka Mustapha, Editor-in-Chief, People’s Security Monitor Families of 19 prospective members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) abducted by gunmen in Imo State have been thrown into anguish…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":30224,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30222","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pages"],"yoast_head":"\n