‘Rescue my daughter, 18 others’ — Ibadan woman begs Tinubu, Police after NYSC abduction

An Ibadan-based woman, Mrs Alimot Akande, has appealed to President Bola Tinubu, the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies to rescue her daughter and 18 other prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members reportedly abducted while travelling to their orientation camp.

The prospective corps members reportedly left Ibadan, Oyo State, on Wednesday and were intercepted by suspected kidnappers in the early hours of Thursday along the Onitsha-Abia axis.

Akande’s daughter, identified in reports as Kehinde Akande, a graduate of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), is among those reportedly taken. Reports from the transport company indicate that 15 passengers were allegedly abducted from two affected buses, although other accounts have put the number of prospective corps members missing at 19.

Speaking with journalists in Ibadan on Thursday, Akande appealed to the Federal Government, NYSC management, the police and other security agencies to intensify efforts to locate the victims and secure their safe release.

She said the prospective corps members boarded a commercial bus at the Samonda area of Ibadan for the journey to Abia State.

According to her, the passengers stopped in Onitsha at about 10 p.m. on Wednesday before continuing their journey the following morning.

Akande said she had been monitoring her daughter’s journey when she suddenly received a brief message from her phone.

“The passengers had a stopover on Wednesday night in Onitsha at about 10 p.m., and the journey continued on Thursday morning before she quickly dropped a message that simply said, ‘kidnappers!’ indicating that the bus had been attacked by suspected armed kidnappers,” she said.

She said the message was the last communication she received from her daughter, adding that subsequent attempts to contact her had been unsuccessful.

Akande urged the government and security agencies to treat the incident as an emergency and ensure that the victims were rescued unharmed.

“I appeal to the Federal Government, the NYSC, the police and other security agencies to rescue my daughter and the others unhurt,” she said.

The reported abduction has triggered anxiety among families of prospective corps members, with parents seeking information about the whereabouts of their children and the efforts being made to secure their release.

The transport company involved reportedly deployed four buses for the journey, with two said to have escaped the attackers while two were intercepted. A report based on the company’s manifest listed 15 passengers as abducted, underscoring the need for official confirmation of the exact number of victims.

As of the latest reports, families were awaiting further information from security agencies on the search and rescue efforts.

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