Families of prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members from Oyo State have been thrown into panic after kidnappers reportedly demanded N50 million each for victims abducted along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in Imo State.

The corps members were travelling from Ibadan to orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states when gunmen attacked two buses in the Umunoha area of Imo on Thursday.

Managing Director of Uko Akwa Ibom Motors Nigeria Limited, Isiah Akpan, said the gunmen blocked the buses and took 19 passengers into the bush before the drivers escaped and alerted security personnel.

Akpan said the kidnappers later contacted some families and demanded N50 million for each victim. The Imo State Police Command subsequently announced that 10 victims had been rescued, although it remained unclear whether they were among the abducted corps members.

Parents of the victims have appealed to the governments of Oyo and the Federal Government to secure their children’s release, while security agencies continue efforts to locate the remaining victims.

The Oyo State Government also assured the families that it was working with relevant security agencies to secure the safe release of the abducted corps members.