Mother Reveals N6 Million Ransom Paid for Son’s Freedom After NYSC Kidnapping

A mother has disclosed that she paid a staggering N6 million in ransom to secure the release of her son, a member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), who was kidnapped along with others on October 1. 

The prospective corps members were abducted when gunmen attacked two buses traveling from Ibadan, Oyo State, on the Owerri-Onitsha expressway. 

In an emotional interview with News Central Television, the mother revealed that the kidnappers initially demanded N50 million for each victim before settling on N6 million for her son.

“We were devastated when they asked for N50 million per head. We pleaded with them, but they insisted it was for each person,” she said in Yoruba. “After negotiating, they eventually agreed to accept N6 million.”

The mother explained that communication with the kidnappers was fraught with tension, as they raised their demands over the days of captivity. “They called us three days ago and said we should pay N15 million. We begged them, saying we only had N5.5 million, but they wouldn’t budge until we finally agreed on N6 million.”

To facilitate the ransom payment, the abductors instructed the parents to send representatives to meet them in Ibadan. “They called all the parents and asked us to send three people each. My husband and my son’s elder brother went,” she recounted.

At the meeting, the kidnappers directed them to transfer the money to an account and instructed that it be converted into dollars upon reaching Imo State.

“My elder son was one of the representatives who met the abductors and delivered the ransom,” she confirmed. “They have all been released, and we were able to speak to our son afterward.”

The mother, who chose to remain unnamed, described the trauma she experienced during her son’s captivity. “I couldn’t sleep or eat properly since he was kidnapped. I felt like I was in chains myself,” she expressed, revealing a sense of relief upon hearing the news of their release.

“Once I learned they were free, it felt like the weight of the world had been lifted off my shoulders,” she said, highlighting the emotional toll the ordeal took on her family.

As relief spreads among the families of the victims, the community continues to grapple with the ongoing threat of kidnapping, which has become a distressing reality in Nigeria.