Parents of the 20 prospective members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) who were abducted along the Owerri-Onitsha Expressway have provided fresh details about the ransom collected from their families, saying the money contributed to secure the victims’ release has been returned.
Obasanjo and Alirat Wahab, parents of one of the abducted prospective corps members, said the families had received refunds of their contributions following the release of the victims from captivity.
However, they could not confirm whether the ransom had been paid to the kidnappers or identify the people who returned the money.
The development has raised questions about the circumstances surrounding the rescue of the prospective corps members and the handling of the ransom contributions.
The families have expressed gratitude to the Imo State Government and called for the matter to be put behind them.
Politics Nigeria reported that the 20 prospective corps members were abducted on October 1 when gunmen attacked two 18-seater buses conveying passengers from Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, towards Anambra State.
The incident occurred along the Owerri-Onitsha Expressway, a major route connecting parts of the South-East with other regions of the country.
Following the abduction, the kidnappers reportedly demanded N1 billion from the victims’ families.
The demand was later reduced to N5 million per person, bringing the total ransom sought for the 20 victims to N100 million.
The families were subsequently faced with the challenge of raising money to secure the release of their loved ones, who remained in captivity for several days.
On Wednesday, after seven days in captivity, the Nigeria Police Force announced that the victims had been rescued during a joint security operation involving the police, the Department of State Services (DSS) and military personnel.
According to the police, the operation led to the rescue of the abducted prospective corps members in Amakohia Ubi village in Imo State.
Following the rescue, questions emerged over whether the families had paid the ransom demanded by the kidnappers and how the money contributed by relatives and other representatives was eventually handled.
Speaking after her son regained his freedom, Alirat Wahab told News Central that her family had paid N6 million to secure his release.
Her account indicated that the family had contributed more than the reported N5 million demand per victim.
However, in a subsequent interview with the media platform, Obasanjo said he could not confirm whether the representatives sent by the families had successfully paid the ransom to the kidnappers.
He maintained that the money contributed by the families had been returned, including the N6 million reportedly paid by his household.
Obasanjo did not disclose who facilitated the refunds or explain the circumstances under which the money was returned.
He also did not provide details that could establish whether the kidnappers received any payment before releasing the victims.
Explaining the role played by the representatives, he said: “They went to look for the kidnapped corps members to see whether they would be freed or not.”
He added that the kidnappers had requested representatives to bring the ransom before the situation changed and the victims were released.
“The kidnappers had asked for representatives to bring the ransom. Since they could no longer hold the corps members hostage, they let them go.”
The statement offered a limited account of what happened during the efforts to secure the victims’ freedom.
It did not clarify whether negotiations were concluded, whether security operatives intervened before any payment was made, or whether the kidnappers abandoned their demand after the rescue operation intensified.
When asked to provide further details about the ransom and the events leading to the release, Obasanjo declined to elaborate, urging the public to focus on the outcome of the operation and appreciate the state government’s intervention.
“You know what, let’s forget the matter and just appeal to the Imo state government. We should be grateful to them,” he said.
“The money has been returned. We justwant to thank Imo for a job well done.”