A family of one of the 10 recently discharged National Youth Service Corps members abducted on the Ijebu-Ode-Ibadan Road have appealed to the Federal Government and security operatives to help rescue their son, Dapo.
Dapo’s sister, Abigeal, who spoke with PUNCH Metro on the telephone on Thursday, said the incident occurred shortly after the victims left Ijebu-Ode en route to Ibadan on Tuesday.
Abigeal said, “Although the matter has been reported at the Ijebu-Ode Police Station, the kidnappers initially reached out to the family, demanding a ransom of N20m, but later raised it to N25m, with a deadline of 24 hours to make the payment. The last thing we heard from Dapo before the incident was when he sent a video of the traffic situation on the road, but he became unreachable shortly after.
“On Tuesday, my brother was on his way back from Edo. He was posted to Edo State for NYSC. He did his POP last week. So, he was on his way back to Ibadan. He was still giving us updates about his journey. At some point, he posted that there was traffic. I have the videos on my phone showing the traffic. So, that was the last time we heard from him.
“Not until around 7 pm, one of the co-members escaped. I don’t know how he escaped. I spoke to that guy yesterday, too. He was the one who told another brother of mine that their bus had been attacked and that they had been kidnapped, my brother and nine other people.
“He was the one who gave us that information. Immediately, the police and vigilantes entered the bush that Tuesday when it happened, but they have yet to return.
“So yesterday (Wednesday), we went to the Ijebu-Ode Police Station. We met with the police, and they told us to calm down, saying their people were not back yet. I think it was less than an hour later that those people returned without any news.
“So, the police told us that we should wait for the kidnappers’ call. On our way back to the park yesterday, we got a call. They (the kidnappers) used his (my brother’s) phone to call us. We ran back to the police station.
“We just heard his voice. He said, ‘Hello, mummy.’ We asked, ‘What is happening?’ They collected the phone from him and said they were demanding N20m. We were still trying to beg them when they ended the call. The phone was switched off again until around 6:59 pm, when they called us again, demanding N25m.
“We were still begging. They said, ‘Shebi na cry you wan cry, they cry, they go.’ Then they ended the call and said the deadline was today (Thursday). Some of the victims they kidnapped are also corps members. I saw some of their posts on Twitter, and their families are also trying to raise funds. I have all that information.
“The bus has been recovered, along with their luggage, and it is already at the police station. The police gave us his luggage yesterday, and we came home with his bags, but my brother and the other nine corps members are still there. But from the information given to us by the guy who escaped, the driver drove directly into the bush, and before they knew what was happening, they were surrounded by armed Fulanis.
“I was trying to relate that, let’s say there was even traffic, and the driver was trying to take shortcuts; they said they were shouting at him to reverse, but he did not respond. My brother and the guy who escaped are the only males; the others are females. Please, my brother and the other corps members are still in the bush. Those people called us yesterday (Wednesday), and we have filed a report at the Ijebu-Ode Police Station,” she narrated.
Abigeal, therefore, appealed to the government and security operatives to ensure their safe rescue.
She said, “Please, we are calling on the government, the security operatives and everybody to help us because they have been in the bush since Tuesday. They have already spent two nights with the kidnappers, and we don’t even have the N25m to raise.
“So, there is possibly another night. They will be spending another night with them. Please, we are asking the government to help us. We need our brother back, and we need the other victims back.
“We heard their denial, but my brother is the only guy among them. Please, we need the government and the security operatives. We need them to rescue them. Please, we heard his voice; he was crying yesterday. We need everybody, please.”
Recounting how the incident occurred, the corps member who escaped said in a voice note shared with our correspondent that when traffic was observed, the driver of the bus suddenly turned onto a bush path.
He said that as the driver went deeper into the bush, sporadic gunshots rang out when they arrived at the kidnappers’ den.
He said, “As we were travelling, shortly after passing through Ijebu and heading towards Ibadan, it was around 7 pm when we suddenly saw our driver turn towards the bush.
“Before we knew what was happening, we saw Fulani people. They attacked us and repeatedly fired their guns. Right there, they shot someone, but I just hid inside. All I knew was that I found myself in the bush after they had taken the others away. Some of the abductees left their phones in the bus. It was a very tough time.”
Contacted on Thursday for a reaction, the spokesperson of the state police command, DSP Oluseyi Babaseyi, confirmed the abduction of some persons around the Ogun State corridor of the Ijebu-Ode–Ibadan Road but denied that any corps member was among those abducted.
Babaseyi said, “There was no abduction of 10 corps members. I can confirm that no corps member was abducted. Some persons were abducted, and we are on it.”
