There is palpable tension and anxiety across Oyo State and beyond as 20 prospective members of the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, who were abducted last Thursday on the Owerri-Onitsha Road in Umunoha, Imo State, continue to suffer in the hands of their abductors.
The victims, who were travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to their orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom States for the mandatory one-year national service, were ambushed by heavily armed gunmen who blocked the highway and forcefully took them into the bush.
It was gathered that the young graduates, comprising both male and female prospective corps members, were in two vehicles heading to the South-East and South-South when the gunmen struck, shooting sporadically and causing panic before whisking them away to an unknown location.
Since their abduction, the kidnappers have been in contact with families of the victims, initially demanding a staggering sum of N1 billion as ransom, which translates to N50 million for each of the 20 abducted prospective corps members, a demand that threw the families into confusion and despair.
However, after days of negotiation and pleas from relatives who said they could not afford such a huge amount, the abductors have now slashed the ransom to a total of N100 million for all 20 victims, giving a short deadline that is set to expire within hours from now.
Despite the reduction in ransom, the families are still struggling to raise the N100 million, as most of them are poor and have been running from pillar to post to gather any amount possible to secure the release of their children and loved ones.
Sources close to the families revealed that the situation has become more critical as the kidnappers have resorted to torturing the victims severely, including the female prospective corps members, as a way of putting pressure on their relatives to pay the ransom quickly.
Videos and voice notes allegedly sent by the kidnappers to the families are said to show the victims being beaten mercilessly, with cries of pain and agony heard in the background, a development that has left parents and guardians traumatised and helpless.
One of the relatives who spoke under condition of anonymity said the kidnappers flog the victims daily and deny them food and water, warning that they would kill them one after the other if the ransom is not paid before the deadline they have fixed.
The abduction has sparked outrage across the country, with many Nigerians calling on the Federal Government and security agencies to intensify efforts to rescue the prospective corps members unhurt and bring the perpetrators to justice.
It was learnt that in their desperate search for help, relatives of the abducted graduates had earlier approached the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, to intervene and help secure the release of their children who were travelling from his domain.
The families also reportedly reached out to the Commissioner of Police in Oyo State and the Aseyin of Iseyinland, seeking their assistance and influence to ensure that security agencies act swiftly to rescue the victims before the deadline expires.
The incident has once again raised serious concerns about the safety of highways in the South-East and the security of prospective corps members who have to travel long distances from their homes to orientation camps across the country.
Many parents are now questioning the NYSC posting system that requires graduates to travel through high-risk routes, calling on the management of the scheme to allow prospective corps members to report to camps in their geopolitical zones instead.
Security analysts have described the Owerri-Onitsha Road in Umunoha area as a notorious black spot for kidnapping and armed robbery, urging the Imo State Police Command and other security agencies to increase surveillance and patrols along that corridor.
As at the time of filing this report, the Imo State Police Command is yet to issue an official statement on the abduction, but sources said tactical teams have been deployed to the forests around Umunoha and surrounding communities in search of the victims.
The NYSC management is also said to have been notified of the incident and is reportedly working with security agencies and the families to ensure the safe return of the prospective corps members who were on their way to serve their fatherland.
For now, the families remain in agony, holding vigil and praying for the safe return of their children, while waiting anxiously for any positive news from the kidnappers or the security agencies before the expiration of the ransom deadline.
Human rights groups and youth organisations have condemned the abduction and torture of the prospective corps members, describing it as barbaric and inhuman, and calling on the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency on security along major highways.
Meanwhile, Nigerians on social media have continued to express their anger and sympathy, with many using hashtags to call for the immediate rescue of the 20 prospective corps members and for the government to take decisive action against kidnapping gangs operating across the country.
As the deadline for payment draws closer, the fate of the 20 young Nigerians hangs in the balance, with their relatives scrambling to raise N100 million while hoping that security operatives will storm the kidnappers’ den and rescue them alive.
The abduction of the 20 prospective corps members from Ibadan to Abia and Akwa Ibom orientation camps is yet another painful reminder of the growing insecurity in the country and the urgent need for government at all levels to protect the lives of its citizens, especially young graduates who are ready to serve the nation.
