…as parents insist paying ransom in dollars to kidnappers
Twenty prospective National Youth Service Corps members released in Owerri, Imo State capital, on Wednesday, have reunited with their family members in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
Their reunion with their families took place after over three hours of debriefing with the officials of the Department of State Services in Ibadan.
It was gathered that the victims and some of their parents were given access to the DSS office, while others were kept outside.
An affected parent, Mrs Faith Felicia Abiala, said the incident had exposed the dangers faced by young graduates travelling long distances by road to the orientation camps in partial fulfillment of their national service obligations.
Recall that 20 out of 30 prospective corps members were abducted while travelling from Oyo to orientation camp in Abia State. The remaining 10 escaped through the bush.
The victims regained their freedom seven days after abduction along the Owerri-Onitsha road in Umunoha, Imo State.
Abiala, who spoke in Ibadan on Thursday, said her daughter’s safe return was a moment of overwhelming relief, while admonishing the Federal Government to provide stronger security arrangements for corps members travelling to their states of deployment or consider transporting them by air.
According to her, “My advice to the government is that when corps members are posted to states for their service, the government should ensure proper security arrangements, or allow them to travel by air to avoid these kinds of dangerous road journeys.
“I cannot recount all the tears and sorrow, but I give thanks to God that I am seeing her alive today. On the day she was taken, I was so devastated I couldn’t even eat, but today my heart is filled with joy.
“I thank God, and I thank the DSS officials—they really tried! The team from Oyo State and the team from Imo State, they really tried and stood by us until our children came out safe and sound.”
One of the released corps members, who pleaded anonymity, burst into tears immediately when she saw her parents, saying, “It was a horrible experience.”
Another mother of one of the victims, Alhaja Alimot Akande, described their release as a major relief after days of uncertainty.
“It is good news! Good news! Good news!” she said.
She said the confirmation of the victims’ release finally enabled their families to sleep peacefully after days of anguish.
“Ah! Immediately I heard they were released yesterday, I slept soundly!” Akande said.
The abductors demanded N50m each for the victim, amounting to N1bn, before they later reduced the ransom to N5m per person, totalling N100m.
Managing Director of Uko Akwa Ibom Motors Nigeria Limited, Isiah Akpan, had confirmed this to on Friday.
On Thursday, some of the parents claimed that they paid ransom in dollars to the abductors before the release of their wards.
But Imo State Commissioner of Police, Audu Bosso, said the kidnappers succumbed to pressure from security agencies, who combed the forest during a rescue operation, adding that he was not aware that any ransom had been paid.
Recall that the victims’ parents had, on Saturday, besieged the private residence of Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, in Ibadan, alongside the state Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Abimbola and the Aseyin of Iseyinland, Oba Sefiu Adeyeri, to come to their aid.
Speaking after the announcement of their release on Wednesday, the Olubadan, in a statement issued by his media aide, Adeola Oloko, said, “The kidnapped graduates have been released. The Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma, confirmed this in a telephone conversation at about 5.00 pm.”
