Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has condemned the abduction of 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps members in Imo State, urging the Federal and state governments and security agencies to secure their immediate release.
Atiku described the incident as “heartbreaking” as the abductors reportedly reduced their ransom demand from N1bn to N100m following negotiations with the victims’ families.
The prospective corps members were travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states when gunmen attacked the two commercial buses conveying them along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in the Umunoha area of Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State.
The attack occurred at about 6:30am on Thursday, October 1.
In a statement posted on X on Monday, Atiku urged the Federal and Imo State governments, alongside security agencies, to intensify efforts to rescue those still in captivity.
He said, “The abduction of 20 travellers, including prospective corps members, in Imo State is heartbreaking. Some have been rescued, but others remain in captivity.
“I urge the Federal and Imo State governments, and all security agencies, to act with urgency and bring everyone still being held home safely.”
The Imo State Police Command had initially announced that 10 passengers were rescued and the two buses recovered, while other passengers remained missing.
However, the victims’ families subsequently said all 20 prospective corps members were abducted, disputing suggestions that 10 of them had been rescued.
According to the families, those who escaped the attack did so by fleeing into the bush rather than being rescued by security operatives.
The abductors have also reportedly reduced their ransom demand from N50m per victim to N5m, bringing the total demand for the 20 victims down from N1bn to N100m.
One of the affected parents, Alhaja Alimot Akande, said the reduction had done little to ease the families’ fears, particularly amid reports that the victims were being physically assaulted by their captors.
“The kidnappers had reduced their demand from the earlier N50m per victim to N5m each,” she said.
“They are still demanding N5m. They have come down to N5m each.”
The parents said the abducted graduates had been subjected to beatings since Friday, increasing concerns over their safety.
Some of the victims identified by their families include Makinde Mary Oluwapelumi, Akande Kehinde Morufat, Abdul Temiloluwa Sarah, Adeniran Mariam Olulola, Adefioye Ayomide Isaac, Adewale Paul Iyanuoluwa and Oyede Esther Funmilayo.
The names were released by the parents during a visit to the private residence of the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, in Bodija, Ibadan North Local Government Area of Oyo State, on Saturday.
Security agencies have intensified efforts to locate and rescue the victims.
The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, deployed the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Operations, Shehu Nadada, and two commissioners of police to coordinate the rescue operation.
The Imo State Commissioner of Police, Audu Bosso, later said security operatives had located the suspected kidnappers’ hideout through intelligence gathering and drone surveillance.
However, an assault on the suspected camp was reportedly delayed after intelligence indicated that the area had been planted with improvised explosive devices.
Security agencies are consequently preparing specialised equipment to safely access the location and rescue the victims.
Meanwhile, Atiku also raised concerns over the continued captivity of schoolchildren abducted from Mussa and Lassa communities in Borno State.
He said more than 70 pupils and students abducted from the two communities remained in captivity months after their abductions, urging the government to provide their families with regular updates and intensify efforts to secure their release.
“In Borno, more than 70 pupils and students abducted from Mussa and Lassa remain in captivity months later. These children must not be forgotten. Their families deserve clear updates, and the public deserves answers,” he said.
The Mussa abduction occurred on May 15, when suspected insurgents attacked schools in the community in Askira/Uba Local Government Area and abducted dozens of children. The Borno State Government subsequently put the number of missing pupils at about 44.
On June 29, suspected insurgents attacked Government Day Secondary School, Lassa, while students were sitting for National Examinations Council examinations. Ten students were rescued during an immediate military operation, while subsequent reports indicated that 36 students and a teacher remained in captivity.
By late September, the Borno State chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria had called for the rescue of 78 schoolchildren from Mussa and Lassa who had spent more than 100 days in captivity.
Atiku used the two incidents to criticise the security record of the President Bola Tinubu administration, arguing that Nigerians remained vulnerable to attacks despite government assurances that savings from the removal of fuel subsidy would strengthen security.
He said, “Yet Nigerians remain exposed to kidnappers on our roads, in our communities and around our schools. Young people face danger in secondary school, struggle with unaffordable fees at university, and are now targets on their journeys to NYSC camps. This is a generation being failed at every stage.”
The ADC presidential candidate also questioned the award of pipeline security contracts to what he described as politically connected companies, arguing that the government’s primary responsibility was to protect lives and property.
The latest abduction has renewed concerns over the safety of young Nigerians travelling to NYSC orientation camps, while the victims’ families continue to appeal for urgent intervention to secure the release of the 20 prospective corps members.
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