Police free 20 NYSC graduates abducted on a south-east road
Gunmen stopped two buses taking young graduates to service camps, and police later found them in Imo State after holding back over suspected explosives.
By
Nomvula Dlamini
Nigerian police say they have freed 20 graduates serving in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), a week after gunmen seized them on a highway in the south-east, according to BBC News.
In brief
- The graduates were taken on 1 October.
- I’ve not eaten in three days,”
- The BBC has also published recent reporting on the wider problem, including a 28 September report on the discovery in Nigerian forests of the remains of dozens of people suspected to be kidnap victims.
From the highway attack to the rescue
The graduates were taken on 1 October. They were travelling in two buses from Ibadan, in Oyo State, heading for the service programme’s orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states. Gunmen attacked the vehicles on a major highway along the route.
The rescue was announced on Wednesday by police spokesman Ani Iniedu, who said in a statement that the group was recovered at Amakohia Ubi, in Imo State, at the end of a sustained search-and-rescue operation. According to the BBC, the police, the military and other security agencies combed forests and suspected hideouts in searches driven by intelligence.
The graduates are being looked after and have been taken for medical evaluation.
- Gunmen attack two buses carrying the graduates from Ibadan, bound for service camps in two south-eastern states.
- Police say they have located the place where the group is held, but cannot move in because the area is believed to be mined.
- Police announce the rescue at Amakohia Ubi, Imo State.
The explosives obstacle and the ransom demand
Before the rescue, police had said they knew where the group was held but could not go in, because the area was believed to be planted with explosives, Naija247news reports.
A ransom demand hung over the case. Omotosho Adewale, the father of one of the abducted graduates, told the BBC that the kidnappers wanted 50m naira, a sum he could not afford. Speaking through tears before the release, he said: “There’s no peace of mind. I’ve not eaten in three days,”
Several questions remain open. Iniedu did not say whether a ransom was handed over or whether suspects are in custody. Police say work to track down and prosecute those responsible is continuing, and the authorities have released nothing on the identity of the attackers.
Why the NYSC and the road matter
The NYSC is a one-year community service programme that is compulsory for most Nigerian university graduates. Participants are posted to different parts of the country, so reaching a camp means a journey for large numbers of young people.
The attack has revived concerns about insecurity and kidnapping on roads in the south-east. The BBC calls kidnapping for ransom a serious security issue across Nigeria, one tied to armed groups and criminal gangs. Naija247news says such groups target people on the move and whole communities in several regions.
Paying kidnappers is banned by the government, a measure meant to strip the gangs of their financial motive. The BBC says this has had little effect, and Naija247news likewise notes that kidnappings for ransom continue to occur.
The BBC has also published recent reporting on the wider problem, including a 28 September report on the discovery in Nigerian forests of the remains of dozens of people suspected to be kidnap victims.
Featured image. Source: Pexels. Credit: Rodolfo Gaion. License: Pexels License.
