The 20 prospective corps members freed after being abducted in Imo State have reportedly been offered the option of completing their National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme in any of the six South-West states.
The offer comes amid disturbing revelations that families allegedly paid ₦6 million for each victim’s release after kidnappers initially demanded as much as ₦50 million per person.
The freed graduates were reportedly allowed to choose their preferred states within the South-West to continue their service with the ongoing NYSC batch.
A source familiar with the arrangement said the option was given to the survivors following their traumatic ordeal.
The development offers the young graduates a chance to complete their national service closer to their families and familiar surroundings after the frightening experience.
But behind their release lies a troubling account of ransom negotiations, desperate appeals and families scrambling to raise millions of naira to secure the freedom of their loved ones.
KIDNAPPERS DEMANDED ₦50M PER VICTIM
Alirat Wahab, the mother of one of the abducted graduates, disclosed that the kidnappers initially demanded ₦50 million for each captive before eventually agreeing to accept ₦6 million.
Speaking in an interview with News Central Television, Wahab said the gang later reduced its demand to ₦15 million but eventually settled for the lower amount after the families pleaded for mercy.
She said relatives and well-meaning Nigerians contributed money to meet the demand.
According to her, the kidnappers insisted that the initial ₦50 million demand applied to each victim, leaving the families struggling to negotiate an amount they could afford.
Wahab explained that her family repeatedly appealed to the abductors to accept ₦500,000, but the gang rejected the offer before negotiations eventually resulted in the reported ₦6 million payment.
She also recounted how her husband and son travelled to Ibadan, Oyo State, to meet an intermediary acting in the ransom negotiations.
The money was subsequently transferred into a designated account, while the representatives were instructed to convert it into US dollars upon arriving in Imo State, she said.
The account has reinforced claims by relatives that the victims were released after ransom payments, despite the police announcing their rescue.
ABDUCTED ON OWERRI-ONITSHA ROAD
The 20 prospective corps members were abducted on October 1 while travelling in two commercial buses operated by Uko Akwa Ibom Motors.
The buses were reportedly moving along the Owerri-Onitsha Road near Umunoha in Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State when the kidnappers struck.
The graduates were said to be travelling towards Abia and Akwa Ibom states when they were seized.
Their abductors subsequently demanded ₦50 million per victim, according to reports of the negotiations.
The incident triggered anxiety among the victims’ families, who were left to negotiate with the kidnappers while hoping for the safe return of their children.
POLICE RESCUE CLAIM DISPUTED
The Imo State Police Command announced on Wednesday that the abducted graduates had been rescued at Amakohia Ubi Village in Owerri West Local Government Area.
However, the announcement sparked a dispute over what actually secured their release, with relatives insisting that ransom was paid to the kidnappers.
The families’ accounts have raised questions about the circumstances surrounding the release and the extent to which ransom negotiations featured in the operation.
While the police described the development as a rescue, the relatives’ claims suggest that money changed hands before the captives regained their freedom.
The reported South-West posting option is now expected to help the freed graduates continue their national service after the ordeal, even as questions surrounding the abduction, ransom payments and circumstances of their release remain.
