The Imo State Commissioner of Police, Audu Bosso, has denied knowledge of any ransom payment for the release of 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members and a civilian abducted along the Owerri-Onitsha Road.
NaijaOnPoint had earlier reported that the victims were abducted on October 1, 2026, and later rescued from the Amokohia Uwe Forest in Owerri West Local Government Area of the state following a joint operation by security agencies.
Bosso, who spoke during an interview with Channels Television on Thursday, said the sustained pressure mounted by security operatives forced the abductors to release the victims.
He said the operation involved the Nigeria Police, Nigerian Army, Navy, Air Force, Department of State Services (DSS) and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
According to him, the security agencies immediately mobilised their personnel and resources after receiving a distress call and began combing the forest and locations where intelligence indicated the victims might be held.
“We responded swiftly to the distress call. This was a joint operation involving the Nigeria Police, the Nigeria Army, Navy, Air Force, DSS and Civil Defence Corps.
“We galvanised our resources and went into the bush. We did not relent in our efforts and tried as much as possible to make sure that all the crannies within the bush were combed,” Bosso said.
He added that areas around the Amako community, where security agencies received intelligence, were thoroughly searched.
“At the end of the day, because of the pressure we gave the hoodlums, they eventually released the prospective corps members, and we got them rescued,” he said.
The commissioner was subsequently asked whether ransom had been paid to secure the victims’ release, following reports that families of the abductees had collectively paid about N120 million.
Bosso said he was not aware of any ransom payment.
“To my knowledge, no. I am not aware whether a ransom was paid, but we did what we were supposed to do as professionals, and that’s how we got them,” he said.
His comments came hours after a parent of one of the abducted prospective corps members disclosed that families had paid ransom to the kidnappers.
The mother, who spoke to News Central Television, said her family paid N6 million in dollars for the release of her son.
She said the abductors initially demanded N50 million per victim after allowing the abducted corps members to speak with their relatives to establish that they were still alive.
“The terrorists first demanded N50 million. They gave the abductees phone to confirm that they were alive. We now asked if the money is for all of them, they said no. The money is for each of them,” she said.
According to her, the families initially offered N500,000, but the abductors rejected the offer and threatened to kill the victims.
She said negotiations eventually reduced the demand to N6 million per victim, which her family paid.
“It was later they agreed for us to pay N6 million and that was what we paid. We paid N6 million,” she said.
The mother added that parents of the victims in Ibadan held a meeting to coordinate the payment and agreed to convert the money to dollars before taking it to Imo State.
She said her son’s brother was part of the negotiating team that travelled to the state with relatives of other victims and later confirmed that the ransom had been paid.
However, Bosso said security operatives remained focused on tracking down the perpetrators.
He disclosed that security personnel were still combing the area in an effort to arrest the abductors.
The commissioner also said the rescued victims were receiving medical attention at the DSS hospital and would subsequently be handed over to the Director-General of the NYSC.
“They are ill and hurting. The corps members have no serious complaints. They are ill and hurting, and as we speak, the Director-General of NYSC is on the ground and, as soon as we are done, they will be handed over to the Director-General for the needful to be done,” he said.
Bosso further disclosed that the Inspector-General of Police had deployed additional tactical teams to Imo State following the abduction.
He said mobile police personnel and intelligence response teams had also been deployed to strengthen security along the Owerri-Onitsha Road and other identified flashpoints across the state.
“We’ve fortified access, not only the access where this incident happened, but across the entire state where we feel it’s a flashpoint,” Bosso said.
He added that the additional deployment was intended to prevent a recurrence of the incident and curb other criminal activities across the state.
This article first appeared on NaijaOnPoint: https://politicsnigeria.com/2026/10/08/imo-cp-speaks-on-ransom-payment-to-abductors-of-nysc-members/
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