25th May, 2023
By Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt
Seven members of the National Youths Service Corps, NYSC, who were kidnapped about a week ago on their way to Port Harcourt, the capital of Rivers State from orientation camp in Ondo State have been set free.
It was learnt that the NYSC members who were abducted in the evening of 16 May were set free by their abductors after payment of undisclosed amount as ransom.
An in-law to one of the kidnapped corps members had alerted through a call to a radio station in Port Harcourt that 12 NYSC members were abducted by armed men last Tuesday along the Rumuji axis of the East-West Road, Emuoha Local Government Area of Rivers state.
Five of the kidnapped NYSC members however managed to escape from their abductors the same night during the pandemonium that followed the incident, according to the radio caller.
The Rivers State Police later confirmed the incident but was unable to give the actual number of NYSC members or other passengers abducted from the bus.
However, seven corps members were released on Sunday night, May 21, somewhere in Choba in Obio-Akpor local government area, the outskirts of Port Harcourt,the Rivers State capital.
The release of the seven corps members was revealed on Wednesday, May 24, by the same source whose sister-in-law was among those kidnap victims.
The man said they were freed at about 9 pm on Sunday, but were left a terrible health condition.
He stated, “They were released on Sunday evening around 9 pm. I saw seven of them that there released, two girls and five boys, but without personal belongings”.
“They went to report themselves at the police station where it happened and they took their statement and try to see if they can get their belongings.”
Spokesperson of the state Police Command, SP Grace Iringe-Koko, confirmed the release of the corps members.
But she said she was not aware of the payment any ransom. The Police spokesperson added that the Command will issue an official statement on the release of the NYSC members on Thursday.
Ends