Freed NYSC Graduates Offered South-West Postings After Families Reportedly Pay ₦6m Ransom Each

The 20 prospective members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) who regained their freedom after being abducted in Imo State have reportedly been offered the opportunity to choose any of the six South-West states for their national service.

The arrangement is intended to allow the graduates to continue with the current service batch closer to the region, following the frightening experience they endured while travelling to their orientation camp. A parent of one of the survivors disclosed the development, saying the affected graduates had been given the option of selecting their preferred states in the South-West.

The development comes amid revelations that families reportedly paid ₦6 million for each captive to secure their release, despite the police attributing their freedom to coordinated operations by security agencies.

According to one of the parents, the families agreed to the payments because their immediate priority was to bring their children home safely. Another relative, Joy Zainab, also confirmed that family members and well-wishers contributed towards the ransom paid for one of the survivors.

The abducted graduates were kidnapped on October 1, 2026, along the Owerri-Onitsha Road near Umunoha in Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State. They were travelling in two commercial buses operated by Uko Akwa Ibom Motors and were reportedly heading towards Abia and Akwa Ibom states when the attack occurred.

The kidnappers initially demanded ₦50 million for each victim, placing the total demand for the 20 captives at ₦1 billion. Families later said negotiations led to a reduction in the amount demanded before they reportedly paid ₦6 million for each graduate.

The police announced on Wednesday, October 7, that the prospective corps members had been rescued at Amakohia Ubi Village in Owerri West Local Government Area. The Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Anietie Iniedu, said the operation involved collaboration between the police and other security agencies, adding that the victims were taken for medical evaluation and necessary treatment.

However, the families’ accounts have raised questions about the circumstances surrounding the release. While the police maintained that sustained search-and-rescue operations led to the graduates’ freedom, relatives insisted that ransom payments were made to secure their release.

The Imo State Commissioner of Police, Audu Bosso, said he was unaware of any ransom payment, maintaining that pressure from security operatives forced the kidnappers to release their captives. The authorities have also said efforts were ongoing to apprehend those responsible for the abduction.

The NYSC posting offer has brought some relief to the affected families, but it has also renewed concerns about the safety of young Nigerians travelling across states to participate in the national service scheme.

The NYSC was established in 1973 to promote national integration, reconciliation and unity by deploying graduates to states outside their places of origin. However, repeated attacks on prospective and serving corps members have intensified calls for the government to review how the scheme operates, particularly the transportation and deployment of young graduates to areas facing security challenges.

In June 2026, the Federal Executive Council approved reforms intended to improve the scheme, including risk-sensitive deployment, a technology-driven call-up process and an extension of the orientation programme from three weeks to six weeks.

Despite these proposed changes, the latest incident has raised questions about how the safety measures will be implemented and whether they will adequately protect corps members during journeys to orientation camps and their places of primary assignment.

The NYSC had yet to publicly confirm the reported arrangement allowing the 20 graduates to choose their preferred South-West states as of the time of the report.

For the survivors and their families, the immediate priority remains recovery from the ordeal and resuming normal life. For the government, the incident presents another urgent reminder that protecting prospective corps members must remain central to the future of the national service scheme.

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