The sister of one of the National Youth Service Corps members abducted in Kogi State has appealed to the Federal Government and security agencies to intensify efforts to rescue the victims.
The distraught woman, identified as Chidinma, said her family was still mourning the death of their mother and could not withstand another tragedy if anything happened to her sister.
In an emotional message posted on her Instagram Story on Saturday, Chidinma said the abducted corps members remained in the custody of their captors while their families were struggling to raise the ransom being demanded.
“My sister was taken away on Wednesday with other corps members. They are not doing anything. They keep telling us that they are on it.
“Those children are in the forest suffering, and the kidnappers keep demanding what we cannot afford. Government should take this matter up because those children are still government property,” she said.
Chidinma also challenged reports that some of the victims had been rescued, insisting that her sister was still being held by the abductors.
“I heard some bloggers said they rescued some. They did not rescue anybody. My sister will not go like that. We just lost our mum a few months back, and now my sister. Nigerians should come to our rescue,” she appealed.
Earlier, she had released a video pleading with the Federal Government, police, NYSC and members of the public to intervene in the matter.
According to her, her sister had travelled to Bayelsa State for the NYSC three-week orientation programme before she was posted to Niger State for her Place of Primary Assignment.
She explained that the victim was travelling from Bayelsa to Abuja, where she planned to spend the night before proceeding to Niger State to resume her PPA, when the vehicle conveying her and other corps members came under attack.
“She went to Bayelsa for her three-week camp. After the camp, she was posted to Niger. On her way back from Bayelsa to Abuja, she was attacked by kidnappers. The driver was killed.
“My sister and the other corps members were taken into the bush. Up till now, we have not heard anything. The police are not giving us any positive feedback,” she said.
She appealed to Nigerians, the Federal Government and the United Nations to intervene, stressing that she feared for the safety of her sister and the other victims.
“I’m begging Nigerians, I’m begging the government, I’m begging the United Nations to do something. Nothing should happen to them. Nothing should happen to my sister,” she pleaded.
Chidinma also criticised the NYSC for allegedly failing to provide the affected families with sufficient information about the rescue operation.
“I don’t want to lose my sister. I don’t want Nigeria to happen to me. I don’t want Nigeria to happen to my family.
“NYSC should do something. The government should do something. The police force should do something. The Air Force should do something. They should do something,” she said.
Meanwhile, the Kogi State Police Command has confirmed the abduction, disclosing that 11 victims had so far been rescued.
The victims were reportedly kidnapped on Wednesday along the Aloma–Egane Expressway in Ofu Local Government Area of the state when armed men emerged from the bush and intercepted two buses travelling in opposite directions.
The police said the Divisional Police Officer in Ofu led a joint security team to the scene following a distress call.
According to the command, two abandoned vehicles, including a Peace Mass Transit white Hummer bus and a yellow 18-seater bus, were recovered before security operatives commenced a coordinated search of the surrounding forest.
The police spokesperson, ASP Salisu Oyiza Afusat, said, “At about 1640hrs, armed hoodlums emerged from the bush around Ogene Zaria, near the Ogene Zaria/Onicha-Igo Junction, blocked two buses travelling in opposite directions and abducted some passengers, while others escaped into the surrounding bush.”
Afusat said the operation subsequently resulted in the rescue of 11 victims, including the drivers of the two buses.
She added that preliminary investigation showed that most of the rescued victims were NYSC members travelling from Bayelsa State to Abuja.
The spokesperson said the rescued victims were debriefed and, after necessary procedures were completed, allowed to proceed with their journey.
She added that the joint security operation was still ongoing in the surrounding forest as security agencies continued efforts to locate any remaining victims and apprehend the perpetrators.
The command assured residents and members of the public that operational and intelligence resources were being deployed to the area to facilitate the safe recovery of the remaining abductees and restore security along the route.
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