Parents of the 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members who were abducted in Imo State have provided a fresh update on the ransom money reportedly contributed by their families.
The parents disclosed that the money contributed by the affected families had been returned following the release of the abducted prospective corps members.
Alirat Wahab, whose son was among the victims, had earlier revealed that her family paid ₦6 million towards securing his freedom after he was abducted alongside 19 others along the Owerri-Onitsha Expressway on October 1.
However, during a follow-up interview with News Central, her husband, Obasanjo Wahab, confirmed that the money had been refunded to the families.
According to him, the families had received their contributions back but were uncertain whether the representatives who went to negotiate with the kidnappers had eventually paid the ransom.
“The money has been returned. We just want to thank Imo for a job well done,” he said.
Obasanjo explained that representatives from the affected families had been selected to handle the situation, with one person representing his family and two others representing different families.
He added that the representatives had gone to negotiate with the kidnappers in an effort to secure the victims’ release. However, he did not disclose who refunded the money or whether any ransom had actually been paid.
Alirat also confirmed that the money had been returned to the representatives who acted on behalf of the families, adding that every parent had received their contribution back.
The 20 prospective corps members were reportedly abducted on October 1 when gunmen attacked two 18-seater buses conveying passengers from Ibadan, Oyo State, to Anambra State.
The kidnappers initially demanded ₦1 billion from the victims’ families before reportedly reducing the demand to ₦5 million per person, amounting to ₦100 million for all 20 victims.
After seven days in captivity, the Nigeria Police Force announced that the victims had been rescued. The operation was reportedly carried out jointly by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), the military and the police.
According to the police, the victims were rescued in Amakohia Ubi village, Imo State.
The families have since expressed appreciation to the Imo State Government for its role in securing the victims’ release.
