Families of the 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members abducted in Imo State have contradicted the police account of their rescue, saying ransom was paid before the victims were released.
The prospective corps members were abducted on October 1 while travelling from Ibadan to their NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states. They were reportedly attacked along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in Imo State.
The Nigeria Police Force on Wednesday said the victims were rescued through a joint operation involving the Department of State Services (DSS), Nigerian Army, Nigerian Air Force, Nigerian Navy and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
In a statement by the Force Public Relations Officer, Anietie Iniedu, the police said the victims were rescued on October 7 at Amakohia Ubi Village in Imo State following sustained search-and-rescue operations.
“The Nigeria Police Force, in collaboration with sister security agencies, has rescued the 20 prospective NYSC corps members abducted in Imo State on 1st October 2026.
“The victims were rescued on 7th October 2026 at Amakohia Ubi Village, Imo State, following sustained search-and-rescue operations. They have since been taken for medical assessment and necessary care,” the statement said.
The police added that efforts were ongoing to arrest those responsible for the abduction.
However, accounts from some of the victims’ families contradict the police version, with relatives saying ransom negotiations and payments preceded the release of the abducted corps members.
Alirat Wahab, whose son was among the abducted prospective corps members, said the kidnappers initially demanded N50 million but later agreed to N6 million.
She said her husband and another family member joined other victims’ families to raise the money, which was deposited into a bank account and later converted to US dollars upon their arrival in Imo State for payment.
“The victims’ families met at Ibadan, they agreed to deposit the money in an account and change it to dollars in Imo,” Wahab said in an interview with News Central.
Another relative, who said his sister was among the abductees, also confirmed on Instagram that ransom was paid.
“We paid our ransom in full. They reduced the money to N5 million, and we paid in full,” the relative said.
When asked whether security operatives rescued the victims, he responded: “No security rescued them.”
The relative declined to provide further details about the circumstances surrounding the release, saying: “I don’t think I want all the information about the release out there.”
The conflicting accounts have renewed concerns over Nigeria’s kidnap-for-ransom economy, with ransom payments increasingly becoming a major source of revenue for criminal groups.
The Imo abduction had initially raised alarm after the kidnappers reportedly demanded N50 million per victim, amounting to N1 billion for the 20 prospective corps members, before the demands were negotiated down.
While the police attributed the victims’ release to sustained search-and-rescue operations, accounts from their families indicate that at least some of the victims may have been released following negotiated ransom payments.
The circumstances surrounding the release remain unclear, with the police and the victims’ families offering conflicting accounts of how the 20 prospective corps members regained their freedom.
All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from Third Lens.
Contact: theeditor@thirdlensng.com
