NYSC abduction: Mother pays N6m ransom for son’s release

A mother of one of the prospective National Youth Service Corps members abducted along the Owerri-Onitsha Expressway in Imo State has said her family paid N6m to secure his release on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, after the kidnappers initially demanded N50m for each victim.

The woman, whose name was not disclosed, made the revelation in an interview with News Central Television, recounting how her family negotiated with the abductors while her son remained in captivity following the October 1 attack on two buses conveying passengers towards Abia and Akwa Ibom states.

The mother said the kidnappers initially demanded N50m for each victim before reducing the amount following negotiations with the affected families.

“Initially, they asked us to pay N50m per head. We asked whether the amount was for all of them, but they insisted that no, it was for each person,” she said.

She said the family pleaded with the kidnappers to accept N500,000 but their request was rejected.

According to her, the abductors later demanded N15m before eventually agreeing to accept N6m for her son’s release.

“Three days ago, they called and said we should pay N15m. We kept begging them that all we had was N5.5m. They said no and insisted on N6m. So, it’s that N6m we paid,” she said.

The woman explained that the kidnappers instructed the parents of the victims to send representatives to meet them in Ibadan, Oyo State, to facilitate the ransom payment.

She said her husband and elder son represented the family during the meeting.

“When they got to the meeting place, they asked them to send the money to an account and that when they got to Imo State, they should change the money into dollars,” she said.

The mother added that her elder son later informed the family that the ransom had been handed over and the abducted prospective corps member had been released.

She said the family subsequently spoke with the freed victim.

The woman described the period of her son’s captivity as traumatic, saying she struggled to sleep and experienced physical distress while waiting for news of his whereabouts.

“Since he was kidnapped, I have been stooling. I couldn’t sleep either. But I was relieved when I heard they had been released,” she said.

The prospective corps members were reportedly abducted in the early hours of October 1 when gunmen intercepted two 18-seater buses conveying passengers along the Owerri-Onitsha Expressway.

The attackers reportedly robbed the passengers before taking some of them into a forest.

The Imo State Police Command spokesperson, Henry Okoye, had confirmed the incident, saying 10 victims were rescued shortly after the attack while security operatives launched operations to locate the remaining abductees.

The kidnappers were subsequently reported to have demanded a total ransom of N1bn from the victims’ families before reducing the amount during negotiations.

Following the incident, the Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, deployed the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Operations, Shehu Nadada, to coordinate the rescue efforts.

The police later announced that the remaining victims were rescued on October 7 at Amakohia Ubi Village in Imo State through a joint operation involving the police, military and Department of State Services.

The victims were taken for medical assessment and necessary care, according to the police.

The reported payment of ransom by the family has renewed attention on the financial and emotional burden kidnapping places on affected families, even as security agencies continue efforts to combat abductions across the country.