Conflicting accounts have emerged over how 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members regained their freedom after seven days in kidnappers’ den in Imo State, with the police claiming a security operation secured their release while a victim’s relative insisted that ransom was paid.
The victims, who were abducted on October 1 while travelling from Ibadan to their orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states, were released on Wednesday at Amakohia-Ubi Village in Owerri West Local Government Area of Imo State.
But while the police and Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma credited security agencies with the breakthrough, a relative of one of the victims disputed the official account, claiming that the family paid the kidnappers the money demanded for her release.
The conflicting narratives have raised questions about whether the victims were freed through an intelligence-led rescue operation, ransom payments by desperate families, or a combination of both.
The police have not disclosed whether any ransom was paid.
POLICE: WE FORCED KIDNAPPERS TO FLEE
The Imo State Police Command said the victims regained their freedom following sustained search-and-rescue operations involving several security agencies.
The operation reportedly involved the Department of State Services (DSS), Nigerian Army, Nigerian Air Force, Nigerian Navy and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
According to the police, intelligence gathered by the agencies helped them identify the location where the victims were being held.
Imo State Commissioner of Police, Audu Garba Bosso, said the operatives moved into the area after locating the kidnappers’ hideout, forcing the criminals to flee and leaving the victims behind.
He explained that cooperation among the security agencies was crucial to the operation.
“Our intelligence-led policing gets us in touch with other security agencies. All worked in synergy,” Bosso said.
He added that the agencies moved into the community where the victims were held after identifying their location.
“The criminals fled, and we were able to rescue the victims,” he said.
The Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Anietie Iniedu, also confirmed the development, saying the victims had been rescued while efforts continued to apprehend those responsible for the abduction.
However, the police account was challenged by a relative of one of the abductees, who claimed that the family had to pay heavily to secure her freedom.
‘WE PAID ₦5M RANSOM’
In a social media post, an Instagram user who identified himself as the brother of one of the abducted women claimed that his family paid the ransom demanded by the kidnappers.
According to him, the kidnappers reduced the amount demanded to ₦5 million, which the family subsequently paid.
“We paid our ransom in full. They reduced the money to ₦5 million, and we paid in full,” he said.
When asked whether security operatives had rescued the victims, the man reportedly replied: “No security rescued them.”
He declined to provide further details about the circumstances surrounding the release, saying he did not want all the information made public.
His account directly contradicted the police narrative that the kidnappers fled their hideout following a coordinated security operation.
It was not immediately clear whether the ransom allegedly paid by his family was connected to the wider operation or whether other families made similar payments.
Neither the police nor the Imo State Government publicly addressed the specific allegation that a family paid ₦5 million.
PARENTS: WE HAD TO FIGHT FOR OUR CHILDREN
Even as the controversy over the release continued, parents of the victims described the seven-day ordeal as a nightmare marked by fear, emotional distress and financial pressure.
Mrs Iyabo Akande, one of the parents who had been at the forefront of efforts to secure the victims’ freedom, said the families were relieved by the news but had yet to overcome the trauma.
“We are happy that they have been released. This is what every parent has been waiting and praying for,” she said.
However, Akande disclosed that the parents had not been able to speak directly with their children after the release.
“Our joy is not yet complete because we have not been able to speak with them directly. What we have heard is that they are still with the DSS,” she said.
She also suggested that the families had made individual efforts to secure the release of their children, adding that they received no financial assistance from the government.
“The release did not come for free. The individual parents were responsible for the release in their separate ways,” she said.
According to her, each family had to make its own arrangements after ransom demands were communicated.
“No government gave us anything to support the families towards the release of our children. We had to do what we could as individual families,” she added.
Her comments have further fuelled questions about the role played by the families during the period of captivity and whether ransom payments contributed to the eventual release.
10 ESCAPED AS 20 WERE ABDUCTED
The victims were among 30 prospective corps members travelling in two buses from Ibadan to their NYSC orientation camps when armed men intercepted them at Umunoha in Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State.
Ten members of the travelling party reportedly escaped, while the remaining 20 were taken into the bush by the kidnappers.
Their abduction triggered days of anxiety among relatives, with affected families making frantic efforts to establish contact with their children and secure their freedom.
Following their release, the victims were taken for medical assessment and necessary care.
NYSC Director-General, Brigadier General Olakunle Oluseye Nafiu, visited them at the DSS Clinic in Owerri.
He was accompanied by the Imo State Commissioner of Police, the state DSS director and the Commander of the 34 Artillery Brigade.
A video circulated on X showed some of the released victims appearing cheerful, with some holding bottled water and soft drinks while others engaged in light-hearted conversations.
Despite the apparent relief, the circumstances surrounding their release remain a subject of conflicting claims.
UZODIMMA, OYO GOVERNMENT REACT
Governor Uzodimma commended the security agencies for what he described as their quick and coordinated intervention in securing the victims’ freedom.
He also praised the cooperation between the Imo and Oyo State governments, explaining that sensitive information had been withheld because human lives were involved.
According to him, the discreet approach adopted by the security agencies helped ensure the safe release of the victims.
He commended the security personnel for their patriotism and professionalism and praised the parents and relatives for their patience during the period of uncertainty.
Meanwhile, the Oyo State Government expressed relief over the release of the prospective corps members.
The state Commissioner for Information, Prince Dotun Oyelade, congratulated the Federal Government and the Imo and Oyo state governments over the development.
However, he urged the Federal Government to take more proactive measures to prevent future abductions.
“The Federal Government, which has the preponderance of power and capacity to effectively nip this embarrassing development in the bud, must be more proactive,” he said.
Asked to confirm reports that ransom had been paid, Oyelade directed enquiries to the Imo State Government.
“Ask Imo government,” he replied.
OLUBADAN ALSO INFORMED
The Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, was also informed of the victims’ release by Uzodimma during a telephone conversation at about 5pm.
The monarch’s media aide, Adeola Oloko, said the Imo governor personally conveyed the news to the traditional ruler.
The development followed an earlier visit by parents of the abducted prospective corps members to the Olubadan’s residence in Bodija, Ibadan, where they sought his intervention and support.
For the families, the release brought an end to seven days of uncertainty, but questions over how the victims regained their freedom remain unanswered.
While the police insist that intelligence gathering and coordinated security operations forced the kidnappers to flee, a victim’s relative maintains that at least one family paid ₦5 million to secure the release of its daughter.
Until the competing accounts are clarified, the full circumstances surrounding the freedom of the 20 prospective corps members remain uncertain.
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