Abducted NYSC members: Parents recover ransom contributions

Parents of the 20 prospective members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) who were abducted along the Owerri-Onitsha Expressway have said the money raised by their families to secure their release has been refunded.

One of the parents, Obasanjo, and his wife, Alirat Wahab, disclosed that all the families had received their contributions back following the release of the victims.

The 20 prospective corps members were kidnapped on October 1 when gunmen attacked two 18-seater buses conveying passengers from Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, to Anambra State.

The abductors initially demanded N1 billion from the victims’ families before reducing the ransom to N5 million per person, bringing the total demand to N100 million for all 20 victims.

On Wednesday, the Nigeria Police Force announced that the abductees had been rescued after spending seven days in captivity.

The police spokesperson, Anietie Iniedu, said the operation involved a joint security team comprising personnel of the Department of State Services (DSS), the military and the police.

The victims were reportedly rescued in Amakohia Ubi village, Imo State.

Following her son’s release, Alirat told News Central that her family had paid N6 million to the kidnappers to secure his freedom.

However, in a subsequent interview with the media platform, Obasanjo said he could not confirm whether the representatives selected by the community had actually handed the ransom to the kidnappers.

He confirmed that the money contributed by the families had been refunded, including the N6 million raised by his family.

Obasanjo, however, did not identify those who returned the money or explain the circumstances surrounding the refunds.

“They went to look for the kidnapped corps members to see whether they would be freed or not,” he said.

“The kidnappers had asked for representatives to bring the ransom. Since they could no longer hold the corps members hostage, they let them go.”

When asked to provide further details about the incident, Obasanjo urged the media to allow the matter to rest, while expressing appreciation to the Imo State Government.

“You know what, let’s forget the matter and just appeal to the Imo state government. We should be grateful to them,” he said.

“The money has been returned. We just want to thank Imo for a job well done.”

Asked directly whether the ransom had been paid to the kidnappers, he said, “we don’t know”.

“One person was chosen from my family and the other two from other families,” he said.

Alirat also confirmed that the refunded money was handed back to the representatives who had acted on behalf of the affected families.

“They returned it to those who went to represent us. Every parent has received their money back,” she said.

The circumstances surrounding the ransom collection and subsequent refunds remain unclear, as the parents did not disclose who returned the money or establish whether any payment was ultimately made to the kidnappers.

(THE CABLE)