The mother of one of the National Youth Service Corps members abducted along the Owerri-Onitsha Expressway in Imo State has revealed that she paid N6 million to secure her son’s release.

The woman, whose name was not disclosed, spoke in an interview with News Central Television on Wednesday, following the release of the abducted corps members.

She said the kidnappers initially demanded N50 million for each victim before eventually reducing the ransom to N6 million for her son.

“Initially, they asked us to pay N50 million per head. We asked whether the amount was for all of them, but they insisted that no, it was for each person. Later, we started begging them to take N500,000. But they said no and started scaring us,” she said in Yoruba.

According to her, the abductors later contacted the family three days before the victims were released and demanded N15 million.

“We kept begging them that all we had was N5.5 million. They said no and insisted on N6 million. So, it’s that N6 million we paid,” she said.

The woman explained that the kidnappers instructed the parents of the victims to send representatives to meet them in Ibadan.

“They called all the parents of all the victims. Twenty of them are in the bush. They then asked us to send three persons each to meet with them in Ibadan. My husband and my son’s elder brother went,” she said.

She said the abductors instructed the representatives to transfer the ransom into an account and later convert the money to dollars when they reached Imo State.

The woman added that her elder son was among those who delivered the ransom to the kidnappers.

“It is not rumours. They have all been released and sent to us. His brother is among the people who went to meet with the abductors three days ago. They left with the ransom,” she said.

She said her elder son later called to confirm that the ransom had been handed over and that her abducted son had been released.

“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. We also spoke to the boy,” she added.

The mother described the period of her son’s captivity as traumatic, saying she could neither sleep nor eat normally.

“Since he was kidnapped, I have been stooling. I couldn’t sleep either. But I was relieved when I heard they had been released. It was as though the chains all over me were loosened,” she said.

How the abduction happened

The prospective corps members were abducted in the early hours of October 1 after gunmen attacked two 18-seater buses travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State.

The passengers were reportedly travelling to Akwa Ibom and Abia states when the attackers intercepted the buses, robbed the occupants and forced some of them into a nearby forest.

A viral video circulated on X showed the buses, which were branded with the Abia State Government logo, after the attack.

Henry Okoye, the Imo State police spokesperson, confirmed the incident and said it occurred at about 6:30am.

He said 10 victims were rescued immediately, while security operatives launched a search-and-rescue operation, supported by intelligence, to locate the remaining abductees and track the perpetrators.

On Saturday, the kidnappers reportedly contacted the parents of the abducted corps members and demanded N1 billion within 24 hours for their release.

The demand was later reduced to N5 million per victim, amounting to N100 million for all 20 remaining victims.

Following the development, the Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, deployed the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Operations, Shehu Nadada, to coordinate efforts to rescue the victims.

Anietie Iniedu, spokesperson for the Nigeria Police Force, said Nadada travelled to Imo State with two commissioners of police and conducted an on-the-spot assessment of the operation.

He also reviewed the deployment of personnel and operational assets and directed security teams to strengthen their coordinated response.

The Nigeria Police Force subsequently announced on Wednesday that all 20 remaining corps members had been rescued.

According to the police, the victims were rescued on October 7 at Amakohia Ubi Village in Imo State after sustained search-and-rescue operations by a joint team comprising personnel of the Department of State Services, military and police.

The victims were taken for medical assessment and other necessary care following their rescue.