Families of 8 abducted NYSC members cry out, lambast Akwa Ibom govt

The families of the eight Akwa Ibom National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, members who were kidnapped by bandits on the Zamfara highway on their way to orientation camp in Sokoto State on August 17 has revealed that none of the corpers have managed to escape or been set free.

This was contained in a report published by Vanguard on Tuesday, with the relatives noting that the kidnappers had been demanding N100 million ransom for their release.

The abductors had 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.

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“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.”

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.

“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.”

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