‘Our ransom has been refunded’, says parents of abducted NYSC member

The family of one of the prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members abducted along the Owerri-Onitsha Expressway has reportedly received a refund of the money contributed as ransom.

The parents of the victim, Obasanjo and Alirat Wahab, disclosed that the money their family raised for the payment had been returned.

The abduction occurred on October 1 when gunmen attacked two 18-seater buses conveying 20 prospective corps members from Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, to Anambra State.

The kidnappers initially demanded N1 billion from the victims’ families but later reduced the ransom to N5 million per person, bringing the total demand for the 20 abductees to N100 million.

On Wednesday, after seven days in captivity, Anietie Iniedu, spokesperson of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), said the abductees had been rescued in a joint security operation involving operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), the military and police.

The police said the victims were rescued in Amakohia Ubi village, Imo state.

Speaking after her son’s release, Alirat told News Central that her family paid N6 million to the kidnappers to secure his freedom.

However, in a follow-up interview with the media platform, Obasanjo said he could not confirm whether the representatives sent by the community had paid the ransom.

He said all the families had received refunds of the money contributed, including the N6 million paid by his family.

Obasanjo did not disclose who returned the money or the circumstances surrounding the refunds.

“They went to look for the kidnapped corps members to see whether they would be freed or not,” he said.

“The kidnappers had asked for representatives to bring the ransom. Since they could no longer hold the corps members hostage, they let them go.”

Pressed for further details about what happened, he said the matter should be laid to rest.

“You know what, let’s forget the matter and just appeal to the Imo state government. We should be grateful to them,” he said.

“The money has been returned. We just want to thank Imo for a job well done.”

Asked whether the ransom had been paid to the kidnappers, Obasanjo said, “we don’t know”.

“One person was chosen from my family and the other two from other families,” he said.

Alirat added that the money was returned to the representatives who had gone on behalf of the families.

“They returned it to those who went to represent us. Every parent has received their money back,” she said.

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