Parents of the 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps members abducted in Imo State have claimed that millions of naira in ransom were paid before their children regained freedom, contradicting the police account that the victims were rescued following sustained pressure by security agencies.
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Some of the parents said individual families paid amounts ranging from ₦3 million to ₦6 million, with at least one family claiming the kidnappers initially demanded as much as ₦50 million for each captive before negotiations brought the amount down.
The 20 prospective corps members were abducted on Thursday, October 1, 2026, at Ogbaku in Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State while travelling in two buses from Ibadan, Oyo State, to their NYSC orientation camps in Bende, Abia State, and Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
They regained their freedom on Wednesday, October 7, six days after the abduction.
The Nigeria Police Force subsequently announced that the victims had been rescued at Amakohia Ubi village in Imo State following what it described as sustained search-and-rescue operations involving the police and other security agencies.
However, accounts from some parents have presented a different picture, with the families insisting that ransom payments played a central role in the release of the victims.
One mother said she struggled to raise ₦3 million while fearing for her child’s safety.
“I paid as much as ₦3 million as ransom while I was hoping that nothing happened to my child. I ran helter-skelter to raise the money. I eventually got the money and sent someone to deliver the ransom directly to them,” she said.
The father of another victim said members of his family had to converge in Ibadan to raise ₦6 million, some of which was converted to United States dollars before being taken to Imo State.
“We had to converge somewhere in Ibadan, Oyo State, to put the money together. Some of us even changed the money to dollars and sent it to Imo State to meet whoever was coming to pick it,” he said.
Expressing relief over his son’s release, the farmer said the financial burden of securing the money remained a major concern.
“I am excited that my son is coming back. However, how do I repay the ₦6 million I borrowed? I’m just a farmer,” he said.
Another mother, speaking during an interview with News Central Television, said the abductors initially demanded ₦50 million for each victim.
According to her, the parents initially thought the ₦50 million demand was for all the captives collectively, only to be told it was for each person.
“Initially, they asked us to pay ₦50 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 ₦500,000. But they said no and started scaring us,” she said in Yoruba.
She said the demand was subsequently reduced to ₦15 million before further negotiations.
“Three days ago, they called and said we should pay ₦15 million. We kept begging them that all we had was ₦5.5 million. They said no and insisted on ₦6 million. So, it’s that ₦6 million we paid,” she said.
The woman further claimed that representatives of the families were directed to meet in Ibadan to coordinate the ransom arrangements.
“They called all the parents of all the victims. Twenty of them are in the bush. They then asked us to send three persons each to meet with them in Ibadan. My husband and my son’s elder brother went,” she said.
According to her, those involved in the arrangement were instructed to transfer money into an account and subsequently convert funds into dollars in Imo State.
“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. This is not a rumour. They have all been released and sent to us. His brother is among the people who went to meet with the abductors three days ago. They left with the ransom,” she said.
She also described the physical and emotional toll of the abduction on her.
“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.
Another parent, who spoke anonymously to BBC News Yoruba, similarly claimed that ransom was paid in United States dollars and disputed the assertion that security agencies directly secured the captives’ release.
“Not a single person was responsible for securing the release of our children. The parents, alongside friends and support from people online, contributed money so that each parent could pay the amount demanded by the kidnappers,” the parent said.
The parent further alleged that the State Security Service was involved in investigations and was aware that money had been converted into dollars before being delivered to the abductors.
“The SSS was involved in rescue efforts and had invited parents to assist with investigations. The SSS was fully aware that we had converted money into U.S. dollars through a local currency exchanger before delivering it to the kidnappers. It was a huge amount of money. The money was substantial,” the parent claimed.
There has been no independent confirmation from the SSS of that account.
One of the mothers has also said she would not permit her child to continue with the NYSC programme at the original posting following the ordeal, insisting that the prospective corps member must be redeployed to a state she considers safer, such as Oyo or Ogun.
The palace of the Olubadan of Ibadan also confirmed that the 20 prospective corps members had regained their freedom.
The parents’ accounts, however, differ sharply from the official explanation by the Nigeria Police Force.
Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Ani Iniedu, had announced that the victims were rescued on October 7 at Amakohia Ubi village following coordinated security 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 police said.
“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 police said coordinated operations were continuing to identify, track and prosecute those responsible for the abduction.
The Imo State Commissioner of Police, Audu Bosso, also denied knowledge of any ransom payment when confronted with the claims by the parents.
Bosso maintained that the kidnappers released the victims after coming under sustained pressure from security operatives combing the forest.
“The kidnappers eventually succumbed to pressure from security agencies, which combed the forest in a sustained rescue operation,” he said.
According to the commissioner, the security operation forced members of the gang to abandon their captives and flee.
The contrasting accounts have consequently raised questions over the precise circumstances in which the prospective corps members regained their freedom — whether as a direct result of ransom payments alleged by their parents, sustained pressure from security agencies as maintained by the police, or a combination of both.
Following their release, the 20 prospective corps members were taken back to Ibadan, Oyo State, where they arrived at the SSS headquarters in the Aleshinloye area of Ibadan South-West Local Government Area for debriefing.
Only representatives of the victims’ families were reportedly allowed into the security facility, while other relatives and sympathisers waited outside.
The prospective corps members are expected to undergo further medical and security assessments following their six-day ordeal, even as questions over the ransom claims and the circumstances of their release remain unresolved.
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