The 20 National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members rescued after seven days in captivity in Imo State have reunited with their families in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, following their release by security operatives.
The Department of State Services (DSS) in Oyo handed the corps members over to their families at about 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, after the victims had been debriefed by security operatives.
Their parents reportedly waited for about three hours at the DSS headquarters before the reunion.
Speaking briefly after reuniting with her family, one of the rescued corps members, Akande Morenikeji, described the experience as physically and mentally exhausting.
“Ah, it was stressful, too,” she said.
Morenikeji said the female captives were neither chained nor subjected to sexual harassment during their ordeal, although the male victims faced restrictions.
“We were not chained; the guys, yes, the guys mostly. But as for us, the girls, they did not do any sexual harassment to us. They did not do anything sexual to us,” she said.
How the Corps Members Were Abducted
The victims were abducted on October 1 along the Owerri-Onitsha Expressway in Imo State when gunmen attacked two 18-seater buses conveying them and other passengers before taking them into the bush.
A video that circulated on X showed the victims travelling in buses branded with the Abia State Government logo. They were reportedly heading to Akwa Ibom and Abia states when the attackers intercepted the vehicles.
The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) announced their rescue on Wednesday, saying a joint team comprising personnel from the police, military and DSS carried out the operation.
Before the rescue, the abductors reportedly contacted the victims’ parents on Saturday and demanded a ransom of ₦1 billion, giving them 24 hours to secure their children’s release.
The kidnappers subsequently reduced the demand to ₦5 million per victim, bringing the total ransom sought for the 20 corps members to ₦100 million.
Inspector-General of Police Tunji Disu deployed Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Operations, Shehu Nadada, to Imo State to coordinate the rescue effort.
According to police spokesperson Anietie Iniedu, Nadada arrived with two commissioners of police, assessed the operation on the ground, reviewed personnel and equipment deployments, and issued directives to strengthen the coordinated response.
The reunion in Ibadan followed the conclusion of the operation that secured the corps members’ release after a week in captivity.
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