After seven agonising days of fear, sleepless nights and uncertainty, families of 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps members abducted in Imo State have finally received the news they had desperately prayed for — their children are alive and free.
The victims, who were kidnapped on October 1 while travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to their NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states, regained their freedom yesterday at Amakohia-Ubi Village in Owerri West Local Government Area of Imo State.
The 20 prospective corps members were among 30 persons travelling in two buses when armed men intercepted them at Umunoha, Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State, and forced them into the bush.
While 10 members of the group managed to escape, the remaining 20 were taken hostage.
Their release brought immediate relief to their families, many of whom had spent the past week in anguish, desperately trying to establish contact with their loved ones.
However, the joy was tempered by uncertainty for some parents, who said they were yet to speak directly with their children as the freed victims were undergoing medical examinations and receiving necessary care.
Security agencies rescue victims
The Imo State Police Command said the victims were freed following sustained intelligence-led search-and-rescue operations involving multiple security agencies.
The operation reportedly involved the Department of State Services, Nigerian Army, Nigerian Air Force, Nigerian Navy and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.
The Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Anietie Iniedu, confirmed the development, saying the victims had been rescued while efforts were continuing to apprehend those responsible for the abduction.
Imo State Commissioner of Police, Audu Garba Bosso, said intelligence gathered by security agencies enabled operatives to locate the area where the victims were being held.
According to him, security operatives moved into the area, forcing the kidnappers to flee and abandon their captives.
“Our intelligence-led policing gets us in touch with other security agencies.
“All worked in synergy. Having gotten the locations, we moved as per our search and rescue operations. We got to the community where they were kept in captivity. The criminals fled, and we were able to rescue the victims,” Bosso said.
A video seen by The Nation on X showed the freed victims appearing cheerful, with some holding bottled water and soft drinks while others engaged in relaxed conversations.
The victims were subsequently taken for medical assessment and treatment.
NYSC DG visits freed victims
The NYSC Director-General, Brigadier General Olakunle Oluseye Nafiu, also visited the victims at the DSS Clinic in Owerri.
He was accompanied by the Imo State Commissioner of Police, the state Director of the DSS and the Commander, 34 Artillery Brigade.
But despite the security agencies' account that the victims were rescued during an operation, a relative of one of the abductees claimed that ransom was paid.
The relative, who said his sister was among the victims, disclosed that the family paid N5 million after the kidnappers reportedly reduced their initial demand.
“We paid our ransom in full. They reduced the money to N5 million, and we paid in full,” the relative said.
Asked whether security agencies rescued the victims, he replied: “No security rescued them.”
He, however, declined to disclose further details, saying he did not want information surrounding the release made public.
The police have not confirmed whether ransom was paid.
‘Our joy is not yet complete’ — parents
For the affected families in Ibadan, the release ended seven days of intense emotional torture.
One of the parents, Mrs Iyabo Akande, who had played a prominent role in efforts to secure the victims' release, said the families were relieved by the development.
“We are happy that they have been released. This is what every parent has been waiting and praying for,” she said.
But Akande said the families' relief would not be complete until they were reunited with their children.
“Our joy is not yet complete because we have not been able to speak with them directly. What we have heard is that they are still with the DSS,” she said.
She disclosed that the families had faced enormous emotional and financial pressure throughout the ordeal, adding that individual parents had been forced to make separate arrangements following ransom demands.
“The release did not come for free. The individual parents were responsible for the release in their separate ways,” Akande said.
She also alleged that no government provided financial assistance to the families.
“No government gave us anything to support the families towards the release of our children. We had to do what we could as individual families,” she said.
Describing the ordeal as psychologically traumatic, Akande said the victims would require medical and psychological support.
“You cannot sleep properly. You cannot eat properly. You are constantly thinking about where your child is, what the child is going through and whether the child is still alive,” she said.
“They need medical attention, psychological support and every necessary assistance because they have gone through a traumatic experience.”
Another parent, Mr Femi Adewale, said the release had brought enormous relief to the families.
“We are very happy and relieved that our children have been released. It has been a very difficult period for us,” he said.
Mrs Sade Oyeyemi, whose only daughter was among the abductees, said her greatest desire was to see and speak with her daughter.
“I am very happy that she has been released. We only want to see her, hear her voice and know that she is truly safe,” she said.
Mrs Janet Oladosu also expressed gratitude over the development, saying: “The news of their release is a great relief to us. We thank God that they are alive and have been released.”
Ladoja, Uzodimma react
The Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, also received the news with relief.
Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma reportedly informed the monarch of the victims' release during a telephone conversation at about 5pm.
The Olubadan's media aide, Adeola Oloko, said the governor personally conveyed the confirmation to the monarch.
The development came days after parents of the abducted prospective corps members visited the Olubadan at his Bodija residence to seek his intervention and support.
The Oyo State Government also expressed relief over the release.
The state Commissioner for Information, Prince Dotun Oyelade, said: “Oyo State Government is relieved at the release of our children from the bondage of abduction.”
Oyelade congratulated the Federal Government as well as the Imo and Oyo state governments but urged the Federal Government to take stronger measures to prevent similar incidents.
“The Federal Government, which has the preponderance of power and capacity to effectively nip this embarrassing development in the bud, must be more proactive,” he said.
When asked to confirm reports that ransom was paid, the commissioner simply replied: “Ask Imo government.”
Uzodimma, in his own statement, commended the security agencies for their “quick and coordinated intervention” in securing the release of the victims.
He also praised the collaboration between the Imo and Oyo state governments, explaining that sensitive information had been deliberately withheld because the matter involved human lives.
According to the governor, the discreet approach adopted by the security agencies contributed to the safe release of the victims.
He commended the security personnel for their “patriotism and professionalism” and praised the parents and relatives for remaining patient throughout the period of uncertainty.
