Gunmen demand N1bn ransom for abducted corps members, give 24-hour ultimatum
By Adejayan Gbenga
Gunmen have demanded a N1 billion ransom from the families of 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members abducted while traveling to an orientation camp in Abia State.
Specifically, the abductors demanded N50 million for each victim and issued a 24-hour ultimatum for payment to secure their release. Distraught by the threat, the affected parents visited the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, at his Bodija residence on Saturday to seek his royal intervention.
During the visit, they also appealed to the Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Abimbola Ayodeji, to step in and coordinate rescue measures. According to the parents, the kidnappers contacted them directly using the mobile phones of the abducted youths, stressing that the abductors warned that severe harm would come to the victims if the monetary demands were not fulfilled within the given timeframe.
Speaking on behalf of the grieving families, Alhaja Alimot Akande and Oyebola Michael Akande made a desperate plea for public and state assistance. They emphasized that none of the affected households possessed the resources required to meet the exorbitant ransom.
“They have been calling us since yesterday, demanding N50 million ransom for each child. They threatened that something terrible would happen to our children if we failed to comply with their demands,” Akande said.
In response to their plea, Oba Ladoja offered words of comfort to the families, assuring them that the authorities were acting swiftly. He reaffirmed that security agencies were working tirelessly to ensure the prospective corps members were rescued unharmed.
Concurrently, the Commissioner of Police, Abimbola Ayodeji, confirmed that he had been in direct communication with his counterpart in Imo State since the abduction occurred. He assured the parents that joint police operations were actively ongoing to track down the assailants and bring the victims home safely.
The abduction occurred after gunmen ambushed two buses conveying the prospective corps members from Ibadan, Oyo State, to their assigned orientation camps across the South-East and South-South regions.
