Twenty prospective members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), who were abducted in Imo State, have reunited with their families in Ibadan, Oyo State, seven days after their abduction.
The victims were reunited with their relatives on Thursday after spending more than three hours engaging with officials of the Department of State Services (DSS).
Some parents and the rescued graduates were granted access to the DSS office, while others waited outside.
One of the parents, Mrs Faith Felicia Abiala, expressed relief at her daughter’s safe return, describing the incident as a reminder of the dangers young graduates face while travelling long distances by road to fulfil their national service obligations.
Abiala urged the Federal Government to provide adequate security for prospective corps members travelling to their states of deployment or consider arranging air transportation for them.
She said, “My advice to the government is that when corps members are posted to their states for service, the government should ensure proper security arrangements, or allow them to travel by air to avoid these kinds of dangerous road journeys.”
Expressing gratitude for her daughter’s return, she said the abduction had caused her considerable emotional distress.
“I cannot recount all the tears and sorrow, but I give thanks to God that I am seeing her alive today. On the day she was taken, I was so devastated I couldn’t even eat, but today my heart is filled with joy,” she said.
She also commended DSS officials and security teams from Oyo and Imo states for their efforts in securing the victims’ release.
One of the rescued prospective corps members, who declined to be named, reportedly broke down in tears after sighting her parents, describing the experience in captivity as horrible.
Another parent, Alhaja Alimot Akande, described the reunion as a major relief after days of uncertainty and anguish.
She said the confirmation of the victims’ release had enabled their families to sleep peacefully after enduring considerable anxiety over their children’s safety.
The 20 prospective corps members were among 30 graduates travelling from Oyo State to orientation camps in Abia State when they were abducted along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in Umunoha, Imo State.
The remaining 10 reportedly escaped through the bush.
The victims regained their freedom on Wednesday, October 7, following a rescue operation by security agencies, seven days after they were abducted.
The incident also sparked concerns over ransom demands by the abductors, who initially demanded N50m for each victim, amounting to N1bn, before reportedly reducing the amount to N5m per person, or N100m in total.
Some parents disclosed on Thursday that they had paid ransom in dollars to secure their children’s release.
However, the Imo State Commissioner of Police, Audu Bosso, said the kidnappers had succumbed to pressure from security agencies, which combed the forest during the rescue operation.
He added that he was unaware of any ransom payment.
Before the victims’ release, their parents had sought the intervention of the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, and other authorities to secure their children’s freedom.
The monarch subsequently announced the release, saying Imo State governor Hope Uzodimma had confirmed the development during a telephone conversation on Wednesday.
