A mother of one of the 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps members abducted in Imo State, Alirat Wahab, has revealed how her family borrowed money and received contributions from relatives and others to raise N6m allegedly demanded for her son’s release.
Wahab said the kidnappers initially demanded N50m for each victim before reducing the amount following negotiations with the families.
She said the abductors later agreed to N5m but increased the demand to N15m before eventually settling for N6m after further pleas.
According to her, relatives, friends, and other individuals contributed amounts ranging from N5,000 to N50,000, while the family also borrowed money to complete the N6m.
Wahab said some of the money was paid into her sister’s account before representatives of the families travelled to Imo State with the ransom.
She added that the representatives were instructed to convert the money to dollars before delivering it.
Her husband also said the parents pooled resources to meet the kidnappers’ demands, with some families contributing N5m and his family raising N6m. He said the parents also contributed N100,000 each to cover the representatives’ travel expenses.
The family’s account, however, conflicts with that of the Imo State Police Command.
The state Commissioner of Police, Audu Bosso, said he was not aware of any ransom payment, attributing the victims’ release to sustained pressure from security agencies during a search-and-rescue operation.
The 20 prospective corps members and another person were abducted on October 1 along the Owerri-Onitsha Road while travelling from Ibadan to NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states.
The victims were rescued on October 7 from the Amakohia-Ubi forest in Owerri West Local Government Area following a joint operation involving the police and other security agencies. They were subsequently taken for medical attention.
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