Conflicting accounts have emerged over the circumstances surrounding the release of 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members and a civilian abducted in Imo State, with parents claiming they paid N6 million in ransom, while the non-corps member victim’s family alleged that they transferred N500,000 to secure her freedom.

The Commissioner of Police, Imo State Command, Audu Bosso, however, said he was unaware of any ransom payment, attributing the release of the victims to sustained pressure mounted by security agencies on the kidnappers.

The conflicting accounts have raised questions about what transpired during the seven-day captivity of the victims, who were abducted on October 1 along the Owerri-Onitsha Road while travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to their respective NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom States.

While some Ibadan-based parents reportedly claimed that N6 million was paid to secure their children’s release, a family member of one the victim who is not a corps member told The Nation that relatives transferred N500,000 to the abductors following negotiations over her freedom.

The victim, a plantain chips seller identified as Eberechukwu, was reportedly travelling to Ogbaku when she was abducted alongside the prospective corps members. Her family had earlier said the kidnappers demanded N2 million for her release.

“We paid the money through the bank,” he said, attributing her release to the payment.

The claims by the parents of the corps members contrast with Bosso’s position that he had no knowledge of any ransom payment, raising questions about whether money changed hands during the rescue operation and, if so, who received it.

The police commissioner reportedly questioned the circumstances of the alleged payments, including who the parents handed the money to, maintaining that the security agencies’ sustained operations forced the kidnappers to release their captives.

The family’s account of the alleged N500,000 transfer has introduced a separate dimension to the controversy, although it does not independently establish whether the payment directly influenced the civilian victim’s release.

The identities of the alleged recipients of the money, the precise circumstances of the reported transactions and whether the payments were connected to the victims’ release had not been independently established at press time.

The claims do not, by themselves, prove that the reported payments were made or that the kidnappers released the victims because of them.

However, the discrepancies raise questions that investigators may need to address, including who negotiated with the abductors, whether any money was transferred, who received it and whether the transactions occurred before or after the security operation intensified.

Bosso’s reported question about who collected the money also highlights the need to distinguish between the families’ allegations and the police account of the operation that culminated in the victims’ freedom.

How dangerous forest delayed rescue operation

The abduction triggered a major security response, with operatives of various security agencies deployed to locate the victims and apprehend their abductors.

The Imo State Police Command had earlier disclosed that its operatives used drone surveillance to locate the kidnappers’ camp but could not immediately advance on the location because it was reportedly planted with improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

The reported presence of explosives complicated the operation, requiring security personnel to exercise caution while intensifying efforts to reach the captives.

Security agencies subsequently increased operational pressure on the suspected kidnappers as efforts to secure the victims’ release continued.

Bosso maintained that the sustained pressure forced the abductors to release the captives, crediting the security operation with the outcome.

The 20 prospective corps members and the civilian were eventually freed from the Amakohia-Ubi forest in Owerri West Local Government Area on Wednesday, and taken to Owerri for medical attention, several kilometres from the location where they were reportedly held captive.

The Police commissioner said the rescued victims were receiving attention at the office of the Department of State Services (DSS).

While the victims’ release brought relief to their families, the conflicting accounts of the alleged ransom payments have left unanswered questions about what happened during their captivity.

The central issue now is whether the reported payments were made, who received the money and what role, if any, they played in securing the victims’ freedom. (The Nation)