Kidnappers holding 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps members abducted along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in Imo State have reduced their ransom demand from ₦1bn to ₦100m, even as relatives say the victims are being beaten in captivity.
The abductors initially demanded ₦50m for each victim but have now reduced the amount to ₦5m per person.
The victims were travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states on Thursday when gunmen attacked two buses around Umunoha on the Owerri-Onitsha Road.
One of the affected parents, Alhaja Alimot Akande, said the reduction in the ransom had done little to ease the families’ fears because the victims remained in captivity.
Speaking through one of her daughters in Ibadan, Akande said the abductors had allegedly subjected the prospective corps members to physical assault since Friday.
“They are not sparing anybody. They are beating all of them,” she said.
She appealed to the government at all levels to urgently intervene and secure the release of the victims.
According to her, one of the abducted graduates had been allowed to speak with his father through a telephone provided by the kidnappers.
She alleged that the captors were monitoring the calls to determine which families could potentially raise the ransom.
Families dispute rescue claims
The parents also disputed earlier claims that 10 passengers had been rescued by security operatives after the attack.
According to them, those who escaped the kidnappers did so by fleeing into the bush rather than through a coordinated security rescue.
The uncertainty has added to the anxiety of families who have been waiting for clear information about the whereabouts and condition of their children.
Among those identified by the families are Makinde Mary Oluwapelumi, Akande Kehinde Morufat, Abdul Temiloluwa Sarah, Adeniran Mariam Olulola, Adefioye Ayomide Isaac, Adewale Paul Iyanuoluwa and Oyede Esther Funmilayo.
Security agencies locate suspected camp
The Imo State Police Command said efforts were ongoing to rescue the victims.
The command’s Commissioner of Police, Audu Bosso, said security operatives had used drones to locate the suspected camp where the victims were being held.
However, he said the operation had been delayed because intelligence indicated that the area could have been planted with improvised explosive devices.
The police said security agencies were preparing to move into the area with heavy equipment, including bulldozers and armoured personnel carriers, to facilitate a safe rescue operation.
The Imo State Police spokesperson, DSP Henry Okoye, also said operatives were gradually closing in on the victims.
ADC calls for one-year NYSC suspension
Amid the growing outrage, the African Democratic Congress has called for the temporary suspension of the NYSC scheme for one year.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said the suspension would give the Federal Government time to reorganise the scheme and strengthen measures to protect young Nigerians participating in national service.
Mr Abdullahi, however, acknowledged that the NYSC remains important to national unity, noting that the scheme was created in 1973 after the Civil War to promote integration among Nigerians.
He argued that the security realities facing the country have changed significantly and require a fundamental review of how prospective corps members are deployed.
Opposition parties demand immediate rescue
The National Democratic Congress and the Labour Party have also condemned the abduction and demanded the immediate and safe rescue of the victims.
NDC National Publicity Secretary Osa Director said the government had a constitutional responsibility to protect the lives and property of Nigerians.
He called for an overhaul of the country’s security architecture, arguing that the abduction of the graduates showed the urgent need for stronger intelligence and preventive security measures.
The Labour Party spokesperson, Ken Asogwa, described the incident as evidence of worsening insecurity and warned against abandoning the victims as has happened in some previous kidnapping cases.
The Social Democratic Party and Young Progressives Party similarly condemned the abduction and called for stronger action against kidnapping.
The latest incident has renewed questions about the safety of graduates travelling across states for national service.
Other corps members have also been kidnapped while travelling to orientation camps or places of primary assignment, raising concerns about whether the current deployment system adequately reflects Nigeria’s security realities.
The recurrence of such incidents has also intensified calls for the NYSC to reconsider how young graduates are transported and deployed to areas with known security risks.
Government faces pressure to act
For the families of the 20 abducted graduates, the issue is no longer simply about the ransom.
Their children left home to fulfil a compulsory national service obligation. They are now being held hostage, allegedly beaten, while their parents scramble for answers and government intervention.
The situation has therefore placed renewed pressure on security agencies and the Federal Government to demonstrate that protecting young Nigerians travelling to serve their country is not just a promise, but a responsibility that can be delivered.
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