Kidnappers torture 20 corps members, reduce ransom to N100m — RELATIVES
lTransport firm withholding passengers’ next-of-kin details— Parents lFG should tell us what it’s doing—Oyo govt lEngages Imo, security agencies to secure victims’ release
By Chidi Nkwopara & Adeola Badru
IBADAN— AS the deadline for payment expires within hours, the 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, members abducted in Imo State are being subjected to severe beatings by their captors, including the female victims, Vanguard has learned.
This came as it was learned yesterday that the kidnappers reduced their ransom to N5million each.
Recall that the prospective corps members were abducted last Thursday while travelling from Ibadan to their respective NYSC orientation camps.The vehicles were attacked by gunmen along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in Umunoha, Imo State, while the graduates were travelling to orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states.
The abduction triggered immediate concern among the affected families, particularly after the parents said the kidnappers initially demanded N50m for each of the 20 victims, amounting to N1bn, and gave them a 24-hour ultimatum to produce the money or risk harm coming to their children.
The parents had earlier sought the intervention of the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, during a visit to his private residence in Bodija, Ibadan, where they were accompanied by the Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Abimbola, and the Aseyin of Iseyinland, Oba Sefiu Adeyeri.
Our children are being tortured — Victims’ parents
Meanwhile, one of the affected parents, Alhaja Alimot Akande, said the abductors had subjected the victims to physical assault since the previous day, adding that the situation had become “horrible, scary and overwhelming” for the families.
The latest revelation came as Oyo State government said it was working closely with its Imo State counterpart and security agencies in both states, using its experience from the recent Oriire abduction crisis as a template to secure the release of the 20 graduates.
Akande, whose 25-year-old sister, Kehinde Akande, is among those abducted, said the kidnappers had reduced their demand from the earlier N50m per victim to N5m each.
She said the reduction had not, however, eased the anxiety of the families because the victims were still being held and allegedly beaten by their captors.
“They are still demanding N5 million. They have come down to N5 million each,” she said.
Asked whether the N5m was being demanded for each of the 20 abducted prospective corps members, she replied, “Yes.”
Akande, however, said she could not confirm how much had been raised by the families towards the ransom, explaining that she was not privy to the individual arrangements between the kidnappers and the other parents.
“I cannot say because I do not know how much they have told those people that they have,” she said.
Asked to describe the situation from her perspective, Akande said: “It has been horrible, scary and overwhelming.”
The situation, according to her, became more disturbing after she spoke with her sister and learned that the abductors had begun beating the victims.
“We appeal to the government to please assist us in getting them rescued from that place. When I spoke to my sister, they started beating them yesterday (Sunday),” she said.
Asked whether the female corps members were also being assaulted, she said the kidnappers had shown no restraint.
“They are not sparing anybody. They are beating all of them,” she said.
Akande also disclosed that one of the abducted corps members had been allowed to communicate with his father, but noted that the calls were allegedly being used by the kidnappers as an avenue to monitor the family’s ability to raise money.
According to her, the abductors will alert the victim whenever his father’s call came in and allow him to speak because they believe the father can provide the ransom.
She said: “His father has been communicating with him. The kidnappers give him access to a telephone. Whenever his father calls, they show him that a call came in for him. He would just say, ‘Oh, that’s my father.’
“They know money will come out of his father’s hands, so they would just pick it and allow him to talk. And they have been beating him. They have been beating all of them.”
The parent also disclosed that the families had been relying on assurances from the police, while efforts continued to secure the money demanded by the abductors.
“The police are telling us to still buy time. We are still looking for the money. Depending on it, they will see them rescued,” she said.
Asked whether she was also directly affected by the incident, Akande replied: “I am. My sister was abducted.”
She identified her sister as Kehinde Akande and said she was 25 years old.
Transport firm withholding passengers’ next-of-kin details — Parents
The parents also accused the transport company that conveyed their children from Ibadan of allegedly withholding vital passenger information when they approached the office for assistance.
The parents, who said they visited Eduak King Transport Company at Samonda, Ibadan, in a desperate search for information that could help them contact other affected families, alleged that the company refused to provide the next-of-kin list of passengers aboard the ill-fated vehicles, despite the emergency created by the abduction.
One of the affected mothers, Mrs Iyabo Akande, whose daughter, Kehinde Akande, was among the abducted graduates, called on the Inspector-General of Police and the government to investigate the transport operator and ensure that those found culpable were held accountable.
She said: “Our government and the Inspector-General of Police should help us investigate the transport company, Eduak King, located at the Samonda area of the state and call them to order.
“We were at their office yesterday morning (Sunday morning) asking for the next of kin list so we could contact other parents, but they refused to present it or assist us. The company’s driver, Jeremiah, took our children. They must be held accountable.”
Another parent, Mr Olawale Olaleye, whose daughter was also among the victims, expressed concern over what he described as the company’s continued transport operations, despite the abduction and the distress of the affected families.
He said the parents were surprised to find the company loading another vehicle when they visited its premises to seek information and assistance.
Olaleye said: “We went to Samonda, to Eduak King. Surprisingly, they were already loading another vehicle. People are complaining; the company should be held liable.”
When Vanguard visited the premises of the transport company yesterday, other transport operators were seen conducting their normal activities, while the premises of the affected company were locked and no official was available to respond to the allegations.
FG should tell us what it’s doing—Oyo govt
Meanwhile, the Oyo State government said it was maintaining close contact with its Imo State counterpart and security agencies as efforts intensify to secure the release of the abducted graduates.
The Commissioner for Information, Mr Dotun Oyelade, said the state government was not standing aside because the abduction occurred outside Oyo State, stressing that it was actively involved in efforts to bring the victims home.
Oyelade said the government was using lessons and experience from the abduction of students and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area as part of its engagement with the authorities in Imo.
He said: “We are in close contact at government-to-government level and actively working with the security apparatus in Oyo and Imo states.
“We are volunteering our template and experiences garnered during the Oriire kidnapping, and the report of the Judicial Inquiry just submitted last week by the Justice Mojeed Owoade Panel is coming in handy in our bilateral discussions on the matter.”
The commissioner explained that the state government would not publicly disclose every aspect of its strategy because of the sensitive nature of the operation.
“Governments all over the world are not in the habit of disclosing all they are planning in delicate situations like this,” Oyelade said.
He, however, argued that the federal government and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces should bear the primary responsibility of explaining the country’s broader security response to the abduction.
“The pushback should be on the federal government and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, who are in charge of national security, on what they have done in 72 hours,” he said.
Oyelade linked the Oyo State government’s position to Governor Seyi Makinde’s recent intervention over the abduction of students in Borno State, noting that the Borno incident occurred on the same day as the Oriire abduction.
“It was in recognition of this that Governor Seyi Makinde appealed to the federal government last week to expedite action on the abducted Borno students, who were abducted on the same day, May 15, that the Oriire students and teachers were abducted,” he said.
Reaffirming the state government’s commitment to the victims, Oyelade said the fact that the graduates were abducted in Imo did not absolve Oyo State government of its responsibility towards its citizens.
“Oyo State government has not and will not abandon its citizens. We will continue to work endlessly and desperately to secure the release of our children,” he said.
Kidnapped NYSC members still in captivity – Imo police command
Meanwhile, Imo State police command said yesterday that the prospective corps members were still in captivity.
The command’s Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Mr. Henry Okoye, said: “The Commissioner of Police, CP Audu Bosso, in collaboration with sister security agencies, has deployed tactical teams and operational assets to rescue the abducted corps members and other passengers and to arrest the suspected abductors.
“Following a swift response by the police and other security agencies, both buses have been recovered and 10 victims were rescued at the scene.
“The rescued victims are in safe hands and are being attended to. The exact number of persons abducted is being verified and will be made public once confirmed.
“Operatives are conducting coordinated search and rescue operations, backed by intelligence-led tracking of the suspects.
“The affected section of the expressway has been reopened and traffic is flowing. Security personnel remain deployed to protect commuters.”
APC, ADC in verbal war over Amaechi’s late mum
lAmaechi incapable of earning living outside public office —APC lHis mother’s death not political material, ADC fires back
By Omeiza Ajayi
ABUJA—The All Progressives Congress, APC, and African Democratic Congress, ADC, were yesterday locked in a verbal war over claims credited to the latter’s Vice President candidate, Rotimi Amaechi, that his mother’s death should be blamed on the unfriendly economic policies of President Bola Tinubu’s government.
Recall that Amaechi had in a television interview on Friday, said the rising cost of medicines made it increasingly difficult for him to provide the drugs his mother needed to save her life.
But APC in a reaction yesterday, declared that Amaechi was incapable of earning a living outside public office.
ADC, however, criticised APC over its attack on Amaechi, saying a mother’s death was no political material.
Mary Amaechi, died on July 16, 2026, at 89.
APC in a statement by the National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, said Amaechi’s statement was irresponsible.
“For four decades, Rotimi Amaechi freeloaded at the highest levels of public office. He was never hungry and could afford medications for himself and his family. Just three years out of office, he has become destitute, unable to fend for himself and his loved ones,” the statement said.
It listed his record as a two-term speaker of Rivers State House of Assembly, two-term governor, two-term Minister of Transportation and former presidential aspirant.
The APC added: “If Amaechi is not struggling with some kind of Peter Pan syndrome, then he must be a loafer, aimless and irresponsible for his inability to be productive and earn a living outside the patronage of public office.”
The party also accused him of using his vice presidential bid as a route back to public funds, saying “the same Rotimi Amaechi now asks Nigerians to make him vice president come 2027 so he can continue leeching on public treasury and keep the predatory lifestyle he has grown accustomed to.’’
The statement had earlier opened with condolences to Amaechi over the death of his mother, Dame Ezinne Mary Oduah Amaechi and then offered a wish for Amaechi’a future.
“The All Progressives Congress, APC, prays that the soul of Dame Ezinne Mary Oduah Amaechi continues to rest in perfect peace. Amen.
“It is our sincere wish that employers of labour in his hometown of Ubima in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State may find him suitable for a job that pays wages sufficient for him to feed and buy medications for himself and his beloved family the rest of his retirement. Amen.
“The presidency is not a soup kitchen, and will not be a soup kitchen for Rotimi Amaechi. There can be no better speaker of Rotimi Amaechi’s unfitness for the office of vice president than Rotimi Amaechi himself,” APC stated.
A mother’s death is not political material, ADC fires back
Firing back in a statement issued by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communications of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, PCC, the party described the APC’s response as “political cruelty” rather than an answer to the hardship facing Nigerians.
Shaibu said the death of Amaechi’s mother and his family’s grief should not be turned into material for partisan ridicule.
“A mother’s death and a family’s grief should never be turned into material for partisan ridicule. If Rotimi Amaechi says he struggled to afford his mother’s medication, the humane response is compassion.
“Shaibu said Morka’s description of Amaechi reflected what he described as the APC’s contempt for ordinary Nigerians struggling with the cost of living.
“Morka calls Amaechi a loafer for struggling outside public office. That insult says more about the APC’s contempt for ordinary people than it says about Amaechi,’’ the party stated.
The ADC-PCC said Nigerians struggling to afford treatment, electricity and transportation should not be labelled loafers.
ADC-PCC stated further: “Nigerians who cannot afford treatment, keep the lights on or travel safely on their roads are not loafers. They are citizens living through the consequences of a government that has failed them.”
Shaibu said the APC should focus on the economic and social difficulties facing Nigerians instead of attacking Amaechi.
“The reality is plain: the roads are bad, the economy is bad, electricity is bad, security is bad and the welfare of the people is bad.
“Tinubu’s name is increasingly associated with poverty, insecurity and hardship. No amount of mockery can make those conditions disappear,” the campaign council said.
It said the performance of a government should be measured by whether citizens could live safely, afford medical treatment and earn a decent living.
“The test of government is not how viciously its spokesmen can insult their opponents. It is whether people can live safely, afford treatment and earn a decent living. On that test, Tinubu’s government has failed,” ADC-PCC said.
Abia 2027: PDP candidate vows monthly forum to hear residents’ grievances
UMUAHIA — The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, governorship candidate in Abia State, Dr Kelechi Anosike, has promised to institute a monthly public forum where residents can directly present their grievances to the governor and relevant government and security officials if elected.
Anosike made the promise when members of the Kelechi Anosike G’eme Karia Movement, one of his support groups, visited his campaign office in Umuahia to brief him on their activities.
He said his administration would be anchored on accessibility and people-centred governance, stressing that residents should not have to go through aides to reach the governor.
“I can’t be the governor Abians cannot access. I will be very accessible,” he said.
According to him, the proposed “Meet-Your-Governor Forum” would be held at least once a month to enable residents to bring cases of alleged injustice, oppression and intimidation directly to the attention of the government.
“We will hold the Meet-Your-Governor Forum, at least once in a month. There are people who are crying daily because of injustice, nobody to address their matter,” Anosike said.
He explained that the forum could hold at the Michael Okpara Auditorium or any other suitable large venue, with the governor, deputy governor, police, Department of State Services, DSS, and other relevant officials present to address complaints.
“If you don’t attend to and solve the people’s problems, then what are you doing in government? Government is about the people,” he said.
Anosike also said he would ensure that people who contributed to his campaign were not abandoned after the election, arguing that such persons understood the political and social structures within the state.
“Part of the problem is when you appoint people who were not part of your campaign trail and critical stakeholders who worked with you. If you don’t use those involved in the system, they won’t know the people and there will be disconnect,” he said.
The PDP candidate also reiterated his commitment to what he described as a welfarist approach to governance, including the proposed establishment of a microfinance bank in Aba to provide interest-free loans.
He said the proposed empowerment programme would be funded by the state and designed to benefit residents across the state.
Earlier, Director-General of the movement, Comrade Kelechi Nwosu, said the group had established structures in all 17 local government areas, 184 wards and 4,006 polling units.
Nwosu said the group was targeting more than 80,000 votes for Anosike and planning a one-million-man march across the 17 LGAs, beginning from Umuahia North.
He also requested a campaign vehicle, office accommodation and inclusion in the State Campaign Council.
Responding, Anosike commended the group for its commitment and promised to provide it with a branded Sienna vehicle and office accommodation.
He expressed confidence that the PDP would win the February 6, 2027 governorship election, saying: “We are determined to take our state back and do the right thing. Everything we are doing, we are intentional.”
The post Kidnappers torture 20 corps members, reduce ransom to N100m — RELATIVES appeared first on Vanguard News.