Kidnappers holding 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps members in Imo State have reduced their ransom demand from N1bn to N100m.
The abductors reportedly cut the ransom from N50m to N5m per victim after gunmen attacked two buses carrying the graduates along the Owerri-Onitsha Road on Thursday.
Parents of the victims, however, said the reduction had not eased their fears, alleging that the abducted graduates had been beaten by their captors since Friday.
One of the parents, Alhaja Alimot Akande, appealed to the government to urgently secure the victims’ release, saying the kidnappers were not sparing either male or female corps members.
The parents also disputed reports that 10 passengers were rescued by security operatives, saying those who escaped the attack fled into the bush.
The abduction has triggered renewed calls for government action, with several opposition parties demanding the immediate rescue of the victims and reforms to the country’s security system. The African Democratic Congress also called for a one-year suspension of the NYSC scheme to allow its reorganisation.
The Imo State Police Command and the 34 Artillery Brigade, Owerri, said efforts were ongoing to rescue the abducted graduates, while their families, political groups and institutions continued to appeal for their safe return.
