The mother of one of the 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps members kidnapped in Imo State has revealed how her family raised N6 million to secure her son’s release.
The woman, Alirat Wahab, said her family borrowed money and received financial support from relatives, friends and other individuals before meeting the ransom demand.
Wahab disclosed this during interviews with News Central on Wednesday and Thursday, following the rescue of the abducted prospective corps members.
According to her, the kidnappers initially demanded N50 million for each victim before reducing the amount after parents pleaded with them.
“They first said N50m per child. We pleaded because each child was given the phone for about two minutes, and then they would seize the phone back,” she said.
Wahab said the abductors later reduced the demand to N5 million but subsequently increased it to N15 million before eventually agreeing to accept N6 million after further negotiations.
She said the family initially had N5.5 million but was forced to source an additional N500,000 to meet the final demand.
“We started pleading again, saying we only had N5.5m at the time, but they insisted on N6m,” she said.
The mother said the kidnappers instructed the parents to meet in Ibadan, Oyo State, before sending three representatives for each victim to Imo State with the ransom.
Her husband and their son’s elder brother were among those who travelled to Imo State to deliver the money.
Wahab said the representatives were told not to transfer the ransom through a bank account but to take the money to Imo State and convert it into dollars.
“When they went, their daddy went, his brother went. When they got there, they discussed that we should not send the money through an account. By the time they got to Imo State, they should go and convert it to dollars,” she said.
She explained that the family could not raise the entire amount on its own and depended on contributions from relatives, friends and other sympathisers.
“It was other people that helped us so our money could complete. We borrowed money, and others helped us. Some gave N20,000, some N50,000, some gave what they had,” she said.
According to Wahab, some of the contributions were paid into her sister’s account before the family eventually raised the required N6 million.
Her husband also confirmed that parents of the abducted prospective corps members pooled funds to meet the kidnappers’ demands.
He said their family contributed N6 million, while some other families paid N5 million.
“The parents gathered that money together. For us parents, our portion was N6m, while others paid N5m. Our money was more than the others, which we gathered together,” he said.
He added that the parents met at Adamasingba in Ibadan to coordinate the ransom payment and contributed an additional N100,000 each to cover the transportation expenses of representatives travelling to Imo State.
The family’s account contradicts the position of the Imo State Government, which said no ransom was paid to secure the victims’ release.
Reacting to the government’s claim, the father of the rescued corps member said, “They lied! We the parents gathered that money together.”
Wahab said the family eventually learnt of her son’s release when his elder brother, who had travelled to Imo State, called to confirm that the abducted victims had been handed over.
Police rescue 20 prospective corps members
The Nigeria Police Force announced on Wednesday that security operatives had rescued all 20 prospective NYSC members at Amakohia Ubi Village in Imo State.
The victims were abducted while travelling from Ibadan to their NYSC orientation camp along the Owerri-Onitsha Road.
The rescue operation involved the police, military and Department of State Services.
Following their release, the victims were taken for medical assessment and other necessary care, while security agencies continued efforts to identify and arrest those responsible for the kidnapping.
