The four prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members from Rufus Giwa polytechnic, Owo, Ondo State, were abducted by bandits on thier way to orientation camp in Zamfara state have been rescued.
Their rescue was as facilitated by a joint operation by security agencies in collaboration with some repentant bandits in Funtua Local Government area of the state.
One of the rescued female victims, 24-year old Ojewale Yetunde who narrated their ordeal said that, it was a bitter one.
She said the incident happened at about 11:30pm around funtua Local Government Area of Katsina state while on their way to Zamfara state NYSC orientation camp.
According to her, they were attacked by some men on military camouflage who later turned out to be armed robbers. While nine of the 13 occupants of the bus escaped, she and three other Corps members were kidnapped. She added that, they were all stripped of their belongings as the bandits led them inside the forest.
She further narrated that, they walked some kilometers into the forest and were taken to different locations till dawn, where they slept on rocks as their ordeal lasted before their eventual release.
It was gathered that the kidnappers who first established contacts with the families of the victims, called around midnight demanded for N10m ransom.
According to a parent to one of the victims, the kidnappers called with the same number they used to reach him the previous day which was tracked by the police.
“I just spoke with the Commissioner of Police now and he told me that all four have been rescued. I am thankful to the police for rescuing them. The kidnappers called again around midnight and this time, someone who could speak English was on the other end. They said I have to bring N10m for my child to be release. But I did not pay anything and they have been rescued. I am thankful that the children are safe and they are being taken to NYSC in Katsina,” said the parent
Receiving the victims at the Katsina state Government house, Governor Aminu Masari commended the prompt response of the security operatives to seeing to their rescue and warned against night travels.
The NYSC State coordinator in Katsina, Ahidjo Yahaya, who represented the director-general of the scheme Brigadier-General Shauibu Ibrahim promised to take adequate measures especially posting corps members to security prone areas.
All the 13 prospective corps members have decided to undertake their service in their state as against Zamfara state which was their initial state of deployment.
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