The Imo State Police Command has denied knowledge of any ransom payment for the release of 20 prospective members of the National Youth Service Corps and a civilian abducted along the Owerri-Onitsha Road.
The victims were abducted on October 1, 2026, and were later rescued from a forest in Owerri West Local Government Area of Imo State following a coordinated operation involving security agencies.
However, the police position has been challenged by the mother of one of the victims, Alirat Wahab, who claimed that her family paid ₦6 million to secure her son’s release.
Wahab said the kidnappers initially demanded ₦50 million for each of the abducted prospective corps members before reducing the amount following negotiations with the victims’ families.
According to her, the abductors later demanded ₦15 million from her family but eventually agreed to accept ₦6 million after further negotiations.
She said the family struggled to raise the money, borrowing funds and receiving contributions from relatives, friends and other individuals.
Wahab explained that people contributed different amounts, ranging from ₦5,000 to ₦50,000, while the family borrowed additional money to complete the ransom demanded by the abductors.
She further alleged that representatives of the family were instructed to travel to Imo State with the money and convert it to dollars before handing it over to the kidnappers.
According to her, her husband and her son’s elder brother travelled to deliver the money, after which the family was informed that the ransom had been paid and the victims released.
The claim, however, conflicts with the position of the Imo State Commissioner of Police, CP Audu Bosso, who said he was not aware of any ransom payment.
Bosso said security agencies mounted sustained pressure on the abductors by combing the forest and eventually secured the victims’ release.
“To my knowledge, no. I am not aware whether a ransom was paid,” the commissioner said.
He explained that the rescue operation involved the Nigeria Police, Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Air Force, Department of State Services and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.
Bosso said the security agencies responded to a distress call and deployed personnel to locations where intelligence indicated that the victims might be held.
He added that the rescued prospective corps members were receiving medical attention and would be handed over to the NYSC authorities for further necessary action.
The commissioner also disclosed that additional tactical teams had been deployed to Imo State to strengthen security along the affected road and other identified flashpoints.
Meanwhile, the conflicting accounts have raised questions over the circumstances surrounding the victims’ release, with the police attributing the rescue to sustained security operations while the mother maintains that her family paid ₦6 million to secure her son’s freedom.
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