Imo abductees: families report beatings as ransom demand falls to N5m each

Families of prospective corps members abducted in Imo State say the kidnappers have reduced their demand from N50m to N5m per person, but have begun beating the captives.

The relatives’ accounts, reported by Punch and Vanguard, concern the passengers attacked near Umunoha on the Owerri-Onitsha Road while travelling from Ibadan to NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states on Thursday.

Alimot Akande, a relative of one of the abductees, said the lower demand had not eased the families’ fears. She said she could not confirm how much money the families had raised because she did not know the arrangements made by others.

Both newspapers reported her allegation that the captors were beating male and female victims. Their accounts differ on when the assaults began: Punch refers to Friday in its narrative, while Vanguard quotes her as saying the beating began on Sunday. The allegations have not been independently established.

The reports put the revised demand at N100m for 20 people. However, that family-reported figure does not settle how many people remain in captivity. Imo police spokesperson Henry Okoye told Vanguard that 10 people were rescued at the scene and that the number abducted was still being verified.

NaijaTrend previously reported the families’ appeal over the earlier N50m-per-person demand here.

Oyo State Commissioner for Information Dotun Oyelade told Vanguard that the state was working with the Imo government and security agencies in both states. He said lessons from the Oriire abduction were informing the discussions, but operational plans would not all be disclosed publicly.

Okoye said tactical teams and operational assets had been deployed to search for the abductees and arrest their captors. He said both buses had been recovered and security personnel remained on the expressway.

Sources: Punch, Vanguard