The parents of abducted prospective corps members have claimed they raised millions of naira in ransom to secure the release of their children, directly contradicting the Imo State Government’s declaration that no payment was made.
The family of one of the 20 victims said it raised N6m through loans, donations and contributions from relatives, friends and sympathisers after the kidnappers demanded money for his release.
The mother of the victim, Alirat Wahab, said the abductors initially demanded N50m for each of the 20 prospective corps members, before reducing the demand after the parents pleaded with them.
She said the kidnappers later agreed to N5m but increased the demand to N15m before eventually settling for N6m from her family.
“We only had N5.5m at the time, but they insisted on N6m,” Wahab said in an interview with News Central.
She said relatives and sympathisers contributed as little as N5,000, N20,000 and N50,000, while the family borrowed additional money to complete the ransom.
The mother also alleged that representatives of the affected families were instructed to take the money to Imo State and convert it to dollars rather than transfer it through a bank account.
Her husband backed the account, saying the parents pooled resources to meet the kidnappers’ demands.
He said his family’s share was N6m, while some other families contributed N5m.
The father was particularly scathing about the government’s denial that ransom was paid.
“They lied! We the parents gathered that money together,” he said.
The parents also allegedly contributed N100,000 each to support representatives who travelled to Imo State to negotiate the release.
The family said it was later informed that the victims had been handed over after the money was delivered.
The conflicting accounts have now raised a major question over what exactly happened behind the scenes before the 20 victims regained their freedom.
While the families insist that ransom was paid, the Imo State Government has maintained that the victims were released without any payment.
The police, meanwhile, said the victims were rescued during sustained search-and-rescue operations at Amakohia Ubi Village, Imo State.
The prospective corps members were abducted while travelling from Ibadan to their NYSC orientation camp in Abia State.
They were subsequently taken for medical assessment after their rescue.
The ransom claims by the families have not been independently verified, while authorities have yet to publicly reconcile the conflicting accounts.
Beyond the immediate dispute, the development has again exposed the devastating financial pressure kidnapping places on victims’ families, who are often forced to borrow heavily or depend on public contributions to secure the release of loved ones.