Fresh Update: Identities Of Some Abducted NYSC Members Revealed

Families of prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members have been thrown into panic following the reported abduction of 15 graduates travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to the NYSC orientation camp in Abia State.

According to Bush Radio Academy, the prospective corps members were travelling in buses operated by Udua King Transport Services when suspected kidnappers reportedly attacked the vehicles around Ihiala in Anambra State in the early hours of Thursday.

Reports indicate that four buses had departed from Ibadan for the journey, but two reportedly managed to escape after encountering the attackers. The remaining two buses were said to have been stopped, with 15 passengers allegedly taken into the bush, while 11 other passengers and the drivers reportedly escaped.

The transport company’s manifest reportedly identified those abducted as Akande Kehinde, Olaleye Mary, Oladosu Greatness, Obafunsho Rhoda, Abdulrof Anifat, Esther Oyede, Hassan Usman, Ayomide Isa, Mary Makinde, Azeez Adejoke, Abdulrazaq Anifat, Sarah Temilolu, Adeoye Elizabeth, Eniola Samuel and Usman Temi.

One of the affected parents, Mrs Alimot Akande, said her daughter, Kehinde Akande, a graduate of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), was among those reportedly abducted.

Akande said her daughter boarded the Udua King bus at Samonda in Ibadan and that she had been monitoring her journey. According to her, the bus stopped in Onitsha at about 10 p.m. on Wednesday before continuing towards Abia the following morning.

She said her daughter later sent a brief message that read, “kidnappers!” before communication was lost. The parent said that was the last contact she had with her daughter.

The incident has reportedly prompted worried parents and relatives to converge on the transport company’s premises in Samonda, Ibadan, seeking information about the whereabouts of their loved ones and the efforts being made to secure their release.

A representative of Udua King Transport Services, who declined to disclose his identity, reportedly confirmed that the incident occurred around Ihiala in the early hours of Thursday.

The reported abduction has renewed concerns over the safety of prospective corps members travelling to orientation camps across the country, with affected families awaiting further information on the rescue efforts and the whereabouts of those still missing.