NONE of the eight Akwa Ibom National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, members, abducted by bandits along Zamfara highway en route to Orientation Camp, in Sokoto State, on August 17, has escaped or been freed, according to their families.
Contrary to recent media claims that three of the eight victims had been freed, family members who spoke to Vanguard, yesterday, expressed fears over the fate of their children, still held captive, informing that the kidnappers had been demanding N100 million ransom for their release.
Recall that the abductors raised the ransom to N200 million after the affected families paid N13 million initially demanded a few weeks ago.
A widow and mother of one of the victims lamented, “I won’t stop crying until they bring my child back home. Since August 17 they took my child away. How can I forget that day? I have been telling God to bring those children back to their poor parents.
“We don’t know any government because they have failed us, but we know God cannot fail us. And I am asking Him as the God of a poor widow like me, not to let the tears I shed every day and night be in vain.”
Continuing, the grieving mother who has gone on hunger strike, said “How can I eat when my child is not eating? Our sons, and daughters have not been rescued. Why me? The huge amount of money the kidnappers are demanding, where can we get it from?
“We have sold everything we had to pay over N13million before. We don’t have money any longer. We (parents) have been suffering. Please tell them to help us”
On recent claims that three of the 8 victims, including the bus driver at the point of kidnap had escaped, and returned home, a brother to one of the victims described the information as fake news.
“Nobody has been freed. The kidnappers called just yesterday (Monday) and all the parents met after that call. I wonder how and why people are telling lies about when we are worried sick because of the situation.
“Maybe they are referring to those three people that escaped on that 17th of August when this incident happened. And a 4th person who was trying to escape and the kidnappers shot him in the leg and released him.”
Another victim’s family source lamented, “At Present, as of yesterday (Monday) those kidnappers are demanding N100 million as ransom. I am angry with Akwa Ibom State Government.
“I want to ask the Speaker of Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly if his brother or anybody related to him was kidnapped, would he not negotiate with the kidnappers.
“I ask the governor, Pastor Umo Eno, if they kidnap his son, brother, or anybody close to him whether he would not negotiate for the person to be released?
“Akwa Ibom State Government has not for once called parents of those children to ask them how they are doing. Or how is the situation? Or where did you people stop?
“No government official has contacted us. We’ve just been managing things by ourselves, trying to see what we can do to help rescue our children. We suffered before we raised over N13 million we paid those people so that they would release the children.
“We are also begging Zamfara State Government to help us find those children kidnapped in the state and taken to a bush since 6 weeks ago. This incident has shown that there is no security in Nigeria. If there’s security, by today those children would have been rescued.
“When they kidnapped Zamfara children recently, the Zamfara State governor came out, talked and they have released some of them. But since they kidnapped Akwa Ibom’s children, own governor has not made any comment. It is a slap on Akwa Ibom State government. That is why we are angry.
“These parents did not post their children to go and serve there. It is still the same Nigerian government that sent them there, so why not rescue them? These poor children didn’t have money to pay bribes for their postings which is why they posted them too far away from Sokoto State. Had they paid money they would have been posted to nearby states We have heard people pay for their posting these days.”
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives, yesterday urged the Inspector General of Police, IGP, Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun and other security agencies in the country to immediately secure their release.
This followed a motion by Unyime Idemm and seven others titled “Call on the Inspector General of Police IGP, to Intensify Efforts to Secure the Immediate and Safe Release of the eight abducted Corps Members in Zamfara State” at the Plenary season presided over by the Deputy Speaker Hon Benjamin Kalu
