After Ordeal In Kidnappers Den, 20 Rescued NYSC Members Get New Posting Option

The 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members who were recently rescued after being abducted in Imo State have reportedly been given the opportunity to choose any of the six South-West states for their national service.

The decision is expected to allow the freed graduates to continue their mandatory one-year service with the current NYSC batch while avoiding locations they may consider unsafe following their traumatic experience.

According to Bush Radio Academy, a parent of one of the rescued victims disclosed that the graduates had been offered the option of selecting their preferred states within the South-West geopolitical zone.

“They have been given the opportunity to choose states in the South-West to continue their service with the current batch,” the parent reportedly said.

The graduates were released on Wednesday after spending several days in the custody of suspected kidnappers who abducted them while they were travelling to their respective states for the national service programme.

The 20 prospective corps members were reportedly kidnapped on October 1 along the Owerri-Onitsha Road, near Umunoha in the Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State.

Reports indicated that the victims were travelling in two commercial buses operated by Uko Akwa Ibom Motors and were heading towards Abia and Akwa Ibom states when the attackers intercepted their vehicles.

The kidnappers were alleged to have demanded a ransom of ₦50 million for each of the abducted graduates, raising concerns over the growing threat of kidnapping along major highways in the country.

The Imo State Police Command subsequently announced on Wednesday that the victims had been rescued at Amakohia Ubi Village in the Owerri West Local Government Area of the state.

Their release brought relief to their families and loved ones, while the reported decision to allow them to choose states in the South-West is expected to ease concerns about their safety as they resume their national service.

The incident has once again drawn attention to the security challenges facing travellers in parts of the South-East and the need for stronger measures to protect young Nigerians travelling to fulfil their national service obligations.