NYSC kidnap: Freed graduates offered South-West posting

By: Abudu Olalekan

The 20 prospective corps members who were released by suspected kidnappers on Wednesday have been offered the chance to do their national service in any of the six South-West states.

It’s a little relief for families who, just days ago, were living in fear over the fate of their children.

A parent who spoke to Reportersroom on Friday, but pleaded not to be named, said the freed graduates were allowed to choose which of the South-West states they would like to be posted to for the rest of their service in the current batch.

“They have been given the opportunity to choose any state in the South-West to continue their service,” the parent said.

The parent also revealed that families had to pay N6 million each as ransom to secure the release of their wards.

“As for the ransom, we eventually paid N6m each. We just didn’t want to disclose it until they were freed,” she said.

A relative of one of the survivors, Joy Zainab, also confirmed that family members and well-wishers pooled money together to raise the N6 million.

“Alhamdulillah, he has been released and is safe at home now. I want to thank everyone who prayed, reached out, showed concern, shared his story and also supported us financially to raise his ransom,” she said.

Their accounts back up what Alirat Wahab, mother of another victim, had earlier said. She revealed her family paid N6 million after the kidnappers initially demanded N50 million per captive.

Speaking in an interview with News Central Television, Wahab said the demand was later reduced to N15 million before they eventually settled for N6 million after much pleading.

“Initially, they asked for N50m per head. We asked if that was for all of them, but they said no, it was per person. We started begging them to take N500,000 but they refused,” she said.

Eventually, they agreed to N6 million. According to her, relatives and well-meaning Nigerians helped raise the money.

She explained that the kidnappers asked the families to send representatives to Ibadan, Oyo State, where her husband and son met an intermediary. The money was transferred into a designated account. On getting to Imo State, the representatives were then instructed to convert it to US dollars.

The 20 prospective corps members were abducted on October 1 along the Owerri–Onitsha Road, near Umunoha in Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State. They were travelling in two commercial buses belonging to Uko Akwa Ibom Motors, reportedly on their way to Abia and Akwa Ibom states.

The kidnappers had initially demanded N50 million for each of them.

On Wednesday, the police announced that the graduates had been rescued at Amakohia Ubi Village in Owerri West Local Government Area of Imo State. But their families insisted it was ransom, not a rescue, that secured their freedom.

The mother of another survivor said the trauma had taken a huge toll on both her and her daughter.

“Both of us are in the hospital right now. We’re on drips and receiving treatment. My blood pressure shot up because of all this,” she said.

One of the survivors, who spoke to Reportersroom on the phone, simply said he was just grateful to be alive.

“I don’t even want to remember what happened. I just want to give glory to God. I’m thankful I’m alive,” he said, declining to say more.

Efforts to get confirmation from the NYSC spokesperson, Caroline Embu, on whether the graduates had been allowed to serve in the South-West were unsuccessful as of press time.

Police insist it was an operation

Imo State Commissioner of Police, Audu Bosso, said on Thursday that he was not aware of any ransom payment, adding that sustained pressure from security operations forced the abductors to release their captives.

The Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Anietie Iniedu, also said the graduates were rescued through joint search-and-rescue operations by security agencies.

After their release, the prospective corps members were taken to the Department of State Services Hospital in Owerri for medical evaluation. The Director-General of NYSC, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, later visited them alongside the Imo State Commissioner of Police and the Commander of the 34 Artillery Brigade.

The abduction has once again raised serious concerns about the safety of graduates travelling long distances to NYSC orientation camps.

On August 26, 15 prospective corps members travelling from Bayelsa State to Abuja were kidnapped along the Aloma–Egane Expressway in Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State. They were later rescued from Egume Forest by security operatives.

In May, an Abuja-based lawyer and serving corps member, Eunice Ameh, was abducted in Maitama, Abuja and regained her freedom after ransom was paid.

Reportersroom findings also show that more than 20 corps members have been killed in various attacks between 2015 and 2026.

Renewed calls to scrap NYSC

With such attacks becoming too frequent, many Nigerians are now questioning whether young graduates should still be posted far away from home amid rising insecurity.

The NYSC was established on May 22, 1973, by Decree No. 24 during General Yakubu Gowon’s administration. Its main aim then was to promote reconciliation, reconstruction and national integration after the Civil War by posting graduates to states other than their states of origin.

In June 2026, the Federal Executive Council approved a reform package for the scheme. It includes risk-sensitive deployment, a technology-driven call-up process, extension of orientation from three to six weeks and specialised career streams to better match corps members to their fields.

But for many, those promises mean little until graduates can actually travel to camps without fear for their lives.

A former corps member, Veronica Oloko, believes the scheme should be scrapped.

“If it won’t be scrapped, then the government should provide designated NYSC bus parks across states and have soldiers in those parks. Ideally, there should be a few soldiers on every corps members’ bus with the right equipment to protect them,” she said.

“But even soldiers are being attacked these days. Until the government is able to tame insecurity, I don’t think it’s safe. Honestly, I won’t even allow my own child to go.”

Another parent, Akeem Kareem, shares the same view.

“There is fear in every parent now because of insecurity. No parent wants to send their child to another part of the country for service these days.”