Families of the 20 prospective NYSC members abducted in Imo State have revealed the huge financial burden they faced during the seven-day ordeal. Some relatives said they paid ₦3 million and ₦6 million in ransom before the victims were released.
Families of the 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members abducted in Imo State have revealed that they paid millions of naira in ransom while trying to secure the release of their children.
The victims were abducted on October 1, 2026, while travelling from Ibadan to orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states. They were travelling in two buses when armed men reportedly intercepted them around Ogbaku in Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State, along the Owerri-Onitsha Expressway.
The Nigeria Police Force announced on October 7 that all 20 prospective corps members had been rescued at Amakohia Ubi Village in Imo State following coordinated search-and-rescue operations involving the police and other security agencies. The victims were subsequently taken for medical examination and necessary care.
However, following their release, some families disclosed that they had already paid substantial amounts to the abductors.
A mother of one of the victims told News Central Television that she paid ₦3 million as ransom after struggling to raise the money out of fear for her child's safety. She said the money was eventually sent to Imo State for delivery.
Another parent said his family raised ₦6 million to secure the release of his son. According to the father, relatives gathered in Ibadan to raise the money, while some of the funds were converted to dollars and sent to Imo State.
The father, who said he is a farmer, expressed concern about how he would repay the money he borrowed to meet the ransom demand, despite his relief that his son had regained his freedom.
The disclosures have also created a discrepancy between the accounts of the families and the official account of the rescue operation.
Security agencies have attributed the release of the victims to a coordinated intelligence-led operation. Police said their personnel, working with other security agencies, located the victims and rescued them after sustained search-and-rescue efforts.
Some relatives, however, maintain that ransom payments were made before the release. One relative cited in a separate report said his family paid ₦5 million after the kidnappers reduced the demand, while insisting that security personnel did not directly secure the release of his relative. The police have not stated that ransom was paid as part of the official rescue operation.
The abduction involved prospective corps members travelling to begin their mandatory national service, raising fresh concerns about the safety of young Nigerians travelling to NYSC orientation camps.
The 20 victims spent about seven days in captivity before their release. The police said efforts were still ongoing to arrest the masterminds and other persons responsible for the abduction.
For the affected families, the rescue brought relief after days of uncertainty, but the financial consequences of the ransom demands remain a major burden for those who borrowed or raised money to secure the safety of their children.
The case has also renewed questions about the security arrangements for prospective corps members travelling to orientation camps and the measures required to prevent similar incidents from occurring.