Relatives of the rescued National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members have expressed concern over the multi-million-naira ransoms they allegedly paid to kidnappers before their loved ones were released.
LEADERSHIP recalls that the abducted corps members and another hostage were rescued by security agencies, including the military and the Department of State Services (DSS), on Wednesday.
The families, however, told News Central Television that they paid as much as N6 million to the abductors as ransom.
“I paid as much as N3 million as ransom while I was hoping that nothing happened to my child. I ran helter-skelter to raise the money. I eventually got the money and sent someone to Imo State to deliver the ransom,” a mother of one of the corps members told News Central Television.
A father of another rescued corps member said he paid N6 million for his son’s release.
“We had to converge somewhere in Ibadan, Oyo State, to put the money together. Some of us even changed the money to dollars and sent it to Imo State to meet whoever was coming to pick it,” he said.
Expressing relief over his son’s rescue, the father, who said he is a farmer, lamented the financial burden incurred in raising the ransom.
“I am excited that my son is coming back. However, how do I repay the N6 million I borrowed? I’m just a farmer,” he said.