The 20 prospective members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) who were recently released after being abducted in Imo State have reportedly been offered the opportunity to continue their national service in any of the six South-West states.
A parent of one of the victims, who spoke anonymously to Saturday PUNCH, said the graduates had been allowed to choose their preferred states to continue their service with the current batch. The six states are Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo and Ekiti. However, the NYSC had not officially confirmed the arrangement as of the time of the report.
The graduates were abducted on October 1, 2026, while travelling in two commercial buses along the Owerri–Onitsha Road near Umunoha in Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State. They were reportedly heading to orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states when suspected kidnappers intercepted the vehicles. The police later announced that the victims had been rescued on October 7 in Amakohia Ubi, Owerri West Local Government Area.
However, conflicting accounts have emerged over how the victims regained their freedom. The families reportedly said they paid ₦6 million in ransom for each abducted graduate, while the Imo State Commissioner of Police, Audu Garba Bosso, said he was unaware of any ransom payment and maintained that security operations led to their release.
A relative of one of the survivors also confirmed that family members and well-wishers contributed money towards the ransom. The report said the kidnappers had initially demanded ₦50 million per victim before the amount was allegedly reduced.
The ordeal reportedly took a toll on some of the victims and their families. One mother said she and her daughter had been hospitalised following the incident, while a survivor expressed gratitude for being alive but declined to discuss the experience in detail.
The reported South-West posting option could allow the freed graduates to continue their service closer to their families after the traumatic experience. The incident has also renewed concerns about the safety of prospective corps members travelling long distances to orientation camps amid persistent kidnapping threats along some Nigerian highways.
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