The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has demanded an explanation over the circumstances surrounding the release of 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps members abducted in Imo State.
The group welcomed their safe return but questioned why none of the suspected kidnappers had been arrested, captured or neutralised.
The corps members were abducted seven days ago while travelling from Oyo State to their orientation camps in Abia State.
They were reportedly attacked along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in Umunoha, Imo State.
The victims are now receiving treatment at the Department of State Services hospital in Owerri.
The NYSC Director-General, Brigadier-General Olakunle Oluseye Nafiu, visited them alongside the Imo State Commissioner of Police, the DSS Director and the Commander of the 34 Artillery Brigade.
HURIWA commended President Bola Tinubu, the Chief of Army Staff, the DSS, police and other security agencies for the safe return of the victims.
But the rights group demanded transparency over how they regained their freedom.
“Were the 20 prospective corps members actually rescued by the security forces, or were they released after the payment of ransom?” HURIWA asked.
The group said the question was necessary because no suspected kidnapper had been publicly reported arrested or neutralised.
The police had earlier said their operatives traced the kidnappers’ hideout through drone surveillance.
However, the security team reportedly could not immediately access the location after discovering that the area had been planted with improvised explosive devices.
Additional equipment, including bulldozers and armoured personnel carriers, was subsequently deployed to facilitate access.
HURIWA said Nigerians were yet to be told what happened afterwards.
The group also recalled reports that the abductors initially demanded N50m for each victim, amounting to N1bn, before reportedly reducing the demand to N5m per person.
HURIWA stressed that it was not accusing any government agency of paying ransom.
It, however, demanded clarification on whether negotiations took place and whether any ransom was paid.
“If the security agencies conducted a successful rescue operation, where are the rescued victims’ abductors?” the group asked.
HURIWA said rescuing the victims should not end the matter.
It urged the security agencies to identify, arrest and prosecute those responsible for the abduction.
The group also called for adequate medical and psychological support for the victims after their traumatic ordeal.
HURIWA said the safe return of the corps members was welcome but insisted that Nigerians deserved to know the truth about the operation.
“The lives of the victims matter. The truth also matters,” the group said.
