Mother Says Family Paid N6m Ransom to Secure Release of Abducted NYSC Member

By George Omagbemi

IBADAN — October 8, 2026: A mother of one of the prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members abducted in Imo State has revealed how her family raised and allegedly paid ₦6 million to secure her son’s release from kidnappers.

Alirat Wahab said the abductors initially demanded ₦50 million for each victim after the prospective corps members were kidnapped along the Owerri–Onitsha Expressway on October 1.

Speaking in interviews with News Central Television on Wednesday and Thursday, Wahab said the demand was later reduced to ₦15 million before the kidnappers eventually agreed to accept ₦6 million for her son.

She said the family did not have the money readily available and had to borrow and receive contributions from relatives, friends and other people. According to her, some contributors gave ₦20,000 or ₦50,000, while the family borrowed additional funds to complete the amount.

Wahab said the parents were instructed to meet in Ibadan, Oyo State, and send representatives to Imo with the money. Her husband and the victim’s elder brother were among those who travelled.

She further said the representatives were instructed to convert the money to US dollars in Imo State before it was delivered to the abductors. Her elder son later informed the family that the money had been handed over and that his brother had been released.

The account, however, differs from the official security narrative.

The Imo State Police Command has said the 20 prospective corps members were rescued through coordinated operations by security agencies. The police have also indicated that the operation led to the recovery of the victims, while the exact circumstances surrounding any ransom payment remain disputed.

The victims were abducted after gunmen attacked two buses travelling from Ibadan towards their NYSC orientation destinations in the early hours of October 1. Security agencies subsequently launched search-and-rescue operations.

The Nigeria Police Force announced on October 7 that the 20 prospective corps members had been rescued at Amakohia Ubi Village in Imo State.

Wahab’s account has now added a new dimension to the case, raising questions about whether ransom negotiations occurred alongside the security operation that resulted in the victims’ release.

For now, the ₦6 million payment remains a claim by the victim’s family and has not been independently established by the police as the reason for the release.