Parents of 20 prospective members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), abducted in Imo State while travelling to their orientation camps, have appealed to the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, to intervene and help secure the safe release of their children.
The desperate appeal followed a ransom demand of ₦1 billion reportedly issued by the kidnappers, who are said to have demanded ₦50 million for each of the 20 victims. The families said they had also been given a 24-hour ultimatum, heightening fears over the safety of the abducted graduates.
The victims, who were travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to NYSC orientation camps in other parts of the South-East and South-South, were reportedly attacked on Thursday along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in the Umunoha area of Imo State. Two buses conveying the travellers were intercepted during the attack.
According to the Imo State Police Command, security operatives recovered the two buses and rescued 10 people following the attack, while 20 others remained in the custody of the abductors. The incident has since triggered an intensified search-and-rescue operation involving the police and other security agencies.
The affected families visited Oba Ladoja at his residence in Bodija, Ibadan, on Saturday, seeking his intervention through his influence and contacts. The parents, visibly distressed by the development, said they lacked the financial capacity to meet the enormous ransom demanded for their children.
Speaking on behalf of the families, Alhaja Akande and Oyebola Akande said the kidnappers had been contacting them using telephone numbers associated with some of the abducted graduates. They appealed for urgent intervention, expressing fears that the victims could be harmed if the ransom deadline was not met.
Oba Ladoja assured the distraught parents that efforts were being made to secure the victims’ release unharmed. The traditional ruler said the police were working continuously on the case and pledged that relevant information gathered during the rescue effort would be communicated to the families.
The Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Abimbola, who accompanied the parents to the meeting, said he had remained in contact with his Imo State counterpart since the incident occurred. He said the Imo police authorities had assured him that the abducted graduates would be rescued safely.
Meanwhile, the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, has deployed the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Operations, Shehu Umar Nadada, to Imo State to coordinate the rescue operation. The police said additional operational resources had been deployed and that the operation was being conducted in coordination with other security agencies.
The police have also intensified intelligence-led efforts to locate the victims and their abductors. Reports indicate that security operatives have identified a suspected location where the victims may be held, although an operation was reportedly delayed after intelligence suggested that improvised explosive devices could have been planted around the area. Authorities have urged the public to remain calm and provide credible information that could assist the rescue effort.
At the time of reporting, there was no official confirmation that any portion of the ransom had been paid. The immediate priority remains the safe recovery of the 20 prospective corps members and other abducted persons, as anxious families await a breakthrough in the security operation.
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