NYSC Abduction: Mother Pays N6m Ransom to Secure Son’s Release

The mother of one of the prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members recently rescued from kidnappers has revealed that she paid N6 million ransom to secure her son’s release.

The prospective corps members were abducted on October 1 after gunmen attacked two 18-seater buses travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, along the Owerri-Onitsha Expressway.

The woman, who spoke in an interview with News Central Television on Wednesday, said the kidnappers initially demanded N50 million for each victim before eventually reducing the ransom for her son to N6 million.

According to her, the abductors initially insisted on N50 million per person, despite pleas from the victims’ families.

“Initially, they asked us to pay N50 million per head. We asked whether the amount was for all of them, but they insisted that no, it was for each person. Later, we started begging them to take N500,000. But they said no and started scaring us,” she said in Yoruba.

She said the kidnappers later contacted the families and demanded N15 million, but eventually agreed to accept N6 million after further negotiations.

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“Three days ago, they called and said we should pay N15 million. We kept begging them that all we had was N5.5 million. They said no and insisted on N6 million. So, it’s that N6 million we paid,” she said.

The mother disclosed that the kidnappers instructed the families to send representatives to Ibadan to facilitate the ransom payment.

She said her husband and her elder son were among those who went to the meeting point, where they were instructed to transfer the money to an account and later convert it to dollars in Imo State.

“It was the brother who called us this evening to say that they had handed the ransom to the kidnappers and that they had released our son. We also spoke to the boy,” she said.

The mother said the abduction took a heavy emotional toll on her, leaving her traumatised and unable to sleep while her son remained in captivity.

“Since he was kidnapped, I have been stooling. I couldn’t sleep either. But I was relieved when I heard they had been released. It was as though the chains all over me were loosened,” she said.

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The rescued NYSC members were among the victims abducted along the Owerri-Onitsha Expressway, with security agencies later mounting an intelligence-led operation that led to their rescue.