Group Demands Transparency Over Release of 20 Kidnapped NYSC Members Amid Parents’ N6m Ransom Claims

ABUJA, NIGERIA—The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has demanded an urgent explanation from the Federal Government, and the Nigeria Police Force over conflicting accounts surrounding the release of 20 abducted prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members.

The rights group stated on Friday, October 9, 2026, that allegations by parents who claim they raised millions of naira to secure their children’s freedom raise serious questions that authorities must address transparently.

The police attributed the safe return of the prospective corps members to sustained search-and-rescue operations at Amakohia Ubi Village in Imo State, while the state government maintained that no ransom was paid.

However, accounts from the families directly contradict the official narrative.

Speaking to News Central Television, Alirat Wahab, a mother of one of the victims, revealed that her family was forced to raise ₦6 million after kidnappers initially demanded ₦50 million per victim.

“We only had ₦5.5 million at the time, but they insisted on ₦6 million,” Wahab reported, adding that parents had to pool resources, take out loans, and solicit funds from relatives to meet the abductors’ demands.

Another mother confirmed paying ₦3 million after sending a courier to Imo State to deliver the cash.

HURIWA’s National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko, stressed that a security operation and a ransom payment are not mutually exclusive but insisted that the families deserve the truth.

While welcoming the safe return of the 20 prospective corps members, HURIWA cautioned against treating the allegations as established facts before an independent verification is complete.

However, the group warned that failing to address these conflicting narratives will weaken public confidence in Nigeria’s security institutions, insisting that if an investigation proves public officials deliberately misrepresented the facts, the government must correct the record and offer an official apology to Nigerians