The mother of one of the 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members abducted in Imo State has revealed that her family paid a sum of ₦6 million to secure her son’s freedom, contradicting official statements issued by security agencies.
The account came during an interview broadcast on News Central Television on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, shortly after authorities announced that the corps members had been rescued.
The prospective corps members were abducted on October 1, 2026, when gunmen attacked two 18-seater buses traveling along the Owerri-Onitsha Expressway in Imo State.
Speaking in Yoruba during the television interview, the victim’s mother detailed the traumatic negotiations with the kidnappers:
”Initially, they asked us to pay ₦50 million per head. We asked whether the amount was for all of them, but they insisted it was for each person. Later, we started begging them to take ₦500,000, but they said no and started scaring us.”
”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 insisted on ₦6 million. So, it’s that ₦6 million we paid.”
According to the mother, the kidnappers directed the families to send representatives to Ibadan, Oyo State, to finalize the payoff.
Her husband and elder son traveled to Ibadan as instructed to meet the abductors’ intermediaries. They were instructed to transfer funds and convert part of the money before the final exchange was made.
”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,” she stated, adding that she spoke with her son immediately after his release.
The mother’s account presents a sharp contrast to the official statement issued by the Nigeria Police Force.
On October 7, 2026, Force Public Relations Officer ACP Anietie Iniedu announced that the 20 prospective corps members and one civilian were rescued at Amakohia Ubi Village in Imo State through a joint operation.
The deployment had been directly ordered by Inspector-General of Police Tunji Disu, who dispatched Deputy Inspector-General of Police (Operations) Shehu Nadada to supervise the search-and-rescue mission on the ground in Imo State.
The police official statement made no mention of any ransom payments. While security forces maintain the victims were freed through coordinated tactical pressure, multiple reports and family statements indicate that private financial transactions took place concurrently to guarantee the safe return of the hostages.
