Kidnappers of NYSC members demand hefty ransom

Kidnappers who abducted 19 prospective National Youth Service Corps members travelling from Ibadan, Oyo state, to their orientation camps in the South-East and South-South have demanded N950 million ransom for their release.

The victims were abducted on Thursday October 1, 2026, when gunmen attacked two buses along the Owerri-Onitsha road in Umunoha, Imo state.

The Managing Director of Uko Akwa Ibom Motors Nigeria Limited, Isiah Akpan, confirmed the incident, saying the abducted passengers were corps members heading to Abia and Akwa Ibom states for their NYSC orientation programmes.

According to him, the abductors demanded N50 million for each of the victims, bringing the total ransom demand to N950m.

The demand has heightened anxiety among the families of the affected corps members, with some relatives reportedly contacted directly by the kidnappers.

Families receive ransom demands

A parent of one of the victims, who spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons, said the abductors contacted her through her son’s phone and demanded N50 million for his release.

“The kidnappers called with my son’s phone this morning (Friday) and demanded N50 million for his release. The N50 million is for only my son,” she said.

Another mother, Mrs Oladosu, whose daughter, Greatness, was travelling to Uyo, said the abductors also contacted her family through her daughter’s phone.

She said the family was able to see Greatness and other victims during a video call.

“They used my daughter’s number to call us. We saw her and other corps members sitting on the ground in the bush, crying. Where will petty traders get N50 million? They are just going to serve Nigeria; why this punishment?” Oladosu lamented.

Mrs Alimotu Akanke, the mother of another victim, Akande Farouq, also said her son managed to send a one-word message, “Kidnappers!”, to the family’s WhatsApp group before his telephone line went dead.

How 19 corps members were abducted

Akpan said the two buses left Bodija/Samonda Park in Ibadan on Wednesday but were delayed by traffic around Benin, Edo state.

The vehicles eventually reached Onitsha, Anambra state, late in the day, but the drivers and passengers could not continue their journey because of the condition of the road.

They subsequently spent the night in Oba before resuming their journey around 5am on Thursday.

Akpan said the buses had barely entered Imo State when gunmen emerged from the bush and blocked the vehicles.

“They blocked the two vehicles and took 19 passengers, all corps members, into the bush,” he said.

The drivers reportedly escaped and alerted security personnel at a nearby checkpoint, prompting the police and military to commence a search for the abducted passengers.

Akpan, however, said the search operation was initially delayed when some villagers allegedly prevented security personnel from removing the abandoned buses from the scene.

The two buses were subsequently left at the scene, with passengers’ belongings scattered inside the vehicles.

Police rescue 10 victims

The Imo State Police Command said on Thursday night that 10 victims had been rescued.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Henry Okoye, said security agencies were on the trail of the abductors and had launched a coordinated search for the remaining victims.

He, however, could not confirm whether the rescued persons were among the abducted corps members.

A manifest from the two affected buses listed 30 passengers, with 15 passengers in each vehicle. Two other buses operated by the same company and travelling towards Abia State reportedly escaped the attack.

Oyo govt condemns abduction

The Oyo state government has condemned the abduction and described the incident as distressing and reprehensible.

The Commissioner for Information, Dotun Oyelade, said the government was in close communication with relevant security agencies, the Imo State Government and the NYSC leadership to ensure an urgent and coordinated response.

He said Governor Seyi Makinde had directed that all necessary resources be deployed to secure the safe return of the victims.

According to Oyelade, the governor emphasised that the safety and well-being of every Oyo state indigene, both within and outside the state, remained a top priority.

“We are fully committed to securing the safe release of our children and will stop at nothing to ensure that they are reunited with their families without harm,” the statement read.

The government urged the affected families to remain calm and called on security agencies to intensify efforts to rescue the victims and apprehend the perpetrators.

The incident has renewed concerns over the safety of prospective corps members travelling across states for NYSC orientation programmes, particularly along routes identified as vulnerable to kidnapping.