The relief surrounding the rescue of abducted National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members has been accompanied by fresh concerns from their families, who say they paid millions of naira to secure their loved ones’ release.
Some relatives of the victims told News Central Television that they were forced to raise substantial sums for the kidnappers while the security operation to locate the abducted corps members was ongoing.
One mother said she paid N3 million after scrambling to raise the money and arranging for it to be delivered in Imo State.
“I paid as much as N3 million as ransom while I was hoping that nothing happened to my child. I ran helter-skelter to raise the money. I eventually got the money and sent someone to Imo State to deliver the ransom,” she said.
Another parent said families had to pool their resources to meet the demands of the abductors.
“We had to converge somewhere in Ibadan, Oyo State to put the money together. Some of us even changed the money to dollars and sent it to Imo State to meet whoever was coming to pick it,” the father said.
He disclosed that he personally paid N6 million for the release of his son.
While expressing relief that his son had returned safely, he said the financial burden created by the payment remained a major concern.
“I am excited that my son is coming back. However, how do I repay the N6 million I borrowed? I’m just a farmer,” he said.
The accounts emerged after security agencies rescued the abducted corps members and another hostage on Wednesday, ending their six-day ordeal.
The rescue operation involved several security agencies, including the military and the Department of State Services (DSS), following the abduction of the prospective corps members in Imo State.
The victims had been travelling to orientation camps in the South-East and South-South when gunmen attacked two buses around Umunoha in Mbaitoli Local Government Area along the Owerri-Onitsha Road.
The families’ accounts, however, highlight the financial cost of the abduction beyond the six days the victims spent in captivity.
For relatives who borrowed money or converted savings to meet ransom demands, the return of their loved ones has been followed by another challenge: finding a way to recover from debts incurred during the ordeal.
The revelations also raise fresh questions about the circumstances surrounding ransom payments and the broader burden kidnappings place on victims’ families even after those abducted have been freed.
