We Paid N6m For My Son’s Release, Abducted NYSC Member’s Mother Reveals

The mother of an abducted National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member has revealed that her family paid N6 million to secure her son’s release after the kidnappers initially demanded N50 million.

The woman, identified as Alirat Wahab, disclosed this in an interview with News Central, recounting how the family negotiated with the abductors to secure her son’s freedom.

The prospective corps members were abducted on October 1 while travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to their NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom States.

The victims were travelling in two buses when gunmen reportedly attacked them along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in the Umunoha area of Imo State, forcing the passengers into the bush. Police later said 10 of the victims were rescued at the scene, while efforts continued to locate the remaining abducted corps members.

On October 7, the prospective corps members were released at Amakohia-Ubi Village in Imo State following a coordinated operation involving security agencies. The victims were subsequently taken to a Department of State Services hospital in Owerri for medical attention.

However, while security authorities attributed the release to the rescue operation, families of the victims gave a different account, saying ransom payments were made to secure their relatives’ freedom.

Speaking in Yoruba, Wahab said the kidnappers initially demanded N50 million for each of the abducted children, but the families pleaded with them to accept N5 million.

“They told us they’d collect 50 million for each child. We begged them to take 5 million, but they said no. They began to scare us. We later told them we have 5.5 million. They didn’t accept, but later agreed to 6 million. We later gave them 6 million,” she said.

Wahab explained that her son’s father and elder brother travelled from Ibadan, after which the abductors instructed them to deposit the ransom into an account and convert the money to dollars upon arriving in Imo State.

“We travelled from Ibadan. His father went, and his brother. They instructed them to put the money in the account, and when they got to Imo State, they should change it to dollars. When they got there, they changed it to dollars,” she said.

Wahab added that her son’s elder brother later confirmed his release after the ransom was handed over.