Rescued NYSC Members Sparks Fresh Dispute Over Ransom Payments

•Families claim millions paid as Police credit security pressure

The rescue of 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps(NYSC) members and another abducted person in Imo State has sparked a fresh dispute over ransom payments, with families claiming they paid millions while police attributed the release to security pressure.

The corps members were abducted on October 1 along the Owerri-Onitsha Road while travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states.

The victims were reportedly taken into the bush at Umunoha, Imo State, after the attackers intercepted the two buses conveying them.

Following the abduction, security agencies launched a coordinated search-and-rescue operation to locate the victims and their abductors.

But while the victims have now regained their freedom, their families and the police have offered conflicting accounts of what led to the release.

Some relatives told News Central Television that they raised and paid millions of naira to the kidnappers after receiving ransom demands.

One mother said she paid N3 million after struggling to raise the money and sending someone to Imo State to deliver it.

“I paid as much as N3 million as ransom while I was hoping that nothing happened to my child. I ran helter-skelter to raise the money,” she said.

Another parent said families converged in Ibadan to pool resources, with some reportedly converting the money to dollars before sending it to Imo State.

A father who claimed to have paid N6 million for his son’s release expressed concern about repaying the money he borrowed.

“I am excited that my son is coming back. However, how do I repay the N6 million I borrowed? I’m just a farmer,” he lamented.

The claims, however, differ from the position of the Imo State Police Command.

The Commissioner of Police, Audu Bosso, said he was not aware of any ransom payment and credited the victims’ release to sustained pressure from security agencies.

Speaking with Channels Television on Thursday, Bosso said security personnel combed the forest in a coordinated operation, forcing the kidnappers to release the victims.

“I’m not aware of any ransom payment,” the commissioner said.

He explained that the security agencies maintained pressure on the abductors while intensifying efforts to locate and rescue the victims.

The victims were eventually released on Wednesday from the Amakohia-Ubi forest in Owerri West Local Government Area of Imo State.

The operation involved security agencies, including the military and the Department of State Services(DSS).

The rescue came after days of anxiety among the victims’ families, particularly following reports that the abductors demanded N50 million for each victim.

The Imo State Police Command had earlier disclosed that its operatives located the kidnappers’ camp through drone surveillance.

However, security personnel reportedly could not immediately enter the location because it had been mined with improvised explosive devices(IEDs).

The police subsequently deployed additional operational assets as the search for the victims intensified.

The command had also earlier confirmed that 10 victims were rescued while operations continued to locate the remaining abductees.

The latest operation has now secured the freedom of all 20 prospective corps members and the other abducted person.

The victims are currently receiving medical attention in Owerri.

The conflicting accounts over ransom payments have nevertheless left questions over the circumstances surrounding the release, with families maintaining that they made huge financial sacrifices while the police insist that security pressure brought the ordeal to an end.