‘We Were Not Sexually Abused’ — Rescued NYSC Member Recounts Ordeal In Captivity

Twenty members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), who spent seven days in captivity after being abducted by gunmen in Imo State, have reunited with their families in Ibadan, Oyo State, with one of the female victims recounting their ordeal.

The corps members were freed on Wednesday following a joint security operation involving operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), the military and the police.

LEADERSHIP earlier reported that the victims were handed over to their families by the DSS command in Oyo State at about 8:30pm on Thursday after undergoing debriefing by security operatives.

Their parents had reportedly waited for about three hours at the DSS headquarters before the emotional reunion.

Speaking during the reunion, one of the rescued corps members, Akande Morenikeji, described their experience in captivity as physically and mentally exhausting.

Morenikeji also disclosed that the female victims were not sexually harassed during their seven days in captivity, although some restrictions were imposed on the male victims.

“We were not chained; the guys, yes, the guys mostly. But as for us, the girls, they did not do any sexual harassment to us. They did not do anything sexual to us,” she said.

Her account offered a glimpse into the conditions the victims endured while in the hands of their abductors, as they began the process of reuniting with their families after a week of uncertainty.

How the corps members were abducted

The 20 NYSC members were abducted on Thursday, October 1, when gunmen attacked two 18-seater buses conveying them and other passengers along the Owerri-Onitsha Expressway in Imo State.

The buses, reportedly bearing the Abia State Government logo, were conveying the corps members towards Akwa Ibom and Abia states when the attackers intercepted the vehicles and took the victims into a nearby forest.

The incident sparked concern over the safety of the corps members, particularly as their abductors subsequently contacted their parents to demand ransom.

On Saturday, the kidnappers reportedly demanded N1 billion for the victims’ release, giving their families 24 hours to pay.

The demand was later reduced to N5 million per victim, bringing the total ransom sought to N100 million for the 20 corps members.

Security operatives rescue victims

Following the abduction, the Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, deployed the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of operations, Shehu Nadada, to coordinate efforts to secure the victims’ release.

Nadada reportedly travelled to Imo State with two commissioners of police to assess the operation, review the deployment of personnel and operational assets, and issue directives to strengthen the coordinated response.

The police subsequently announced that a joint team comprising personnel of the police, DSS and military had rescued the 20 corps members on Wednesday.