Nigeria: Kidnappers of 20 NYSC Members Give Parents 24-Hour Ultimatum to Pay N1bn Ransom

What the report says

Kidnappers holding prospective NYSC members abducted in Imo State have reportedly demanded a total ransom of N1 billion, giving the victims’ parents a 24-hour deadline to pay N50 million per person. The students were travelling in two buses on the Owerri-Onitsha Road in Umunoha, Mbaitoli Local Government Area, when armed attackers seized them while they were en route to orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states.

According to the report, parents of the abducted youths met with traditional and police officials in Ibadan to seek help. They said the captors had been calling them using the victims’ phones and warned of harm if the demand was not met. Local authorities, including the Olubadan of Ibadanland and the Oyo State police commissioner, said efforts were under way to secure the students’ release safely.

Police in Imo State said they had identified the kidnappers’ camp after tracking the gang into the bush, but delayed moving in because of fears the site may have been rigged with improvised explosive devices. The state police commissioner said drones were used to locate the area, and that officers were preparing to advance with heavier equipment.

The Inspector-General of Police also ordered senior officers to Imo to strengthen the rescue effort. In a separate political reaction reported by the publisher, the Makinde/Daura campaign organisation blamed the wider insecurity on the federal government’s handling of security, though those claims were not independently verified in the article.