UMUAHIA, NIGERIA — Kidnappers of eight Akwa Ibom State graduates have demanded an additional N200 million as ransom, after previously collecting N13 million from their distraught families.
The victims were abducted on August 17 while en route to Sokoto State for the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, Orientation Camp.
As of today, they have spent 26 agonizing days in captivity.
Family members, at their wits’ end and receiving little to no governmental assistance, have resorted to fasting and prayers in hopes of a miraculous intervention.
A brother to one of the victims, who spoke anonymously on Tuesday, September 12, 2023, expressed the overwhelming emotional and financial burden the families are facing.
“We don’t know how we are going to raise that kind of money,” he told journalists. “We have not received any help from government. We are suffering and helpless.”
The situation became even more dire when the families were informed this Monday that their children’s health conditions are deteriorating due to the harsh conditions of their captivity.
“In fact, all the parents and their family members have resorted to fasting and prayers. Our children in captivity told us to pray for them, that they are very weak,” said another relative close to one of the victims’ parents.
The kidnappers had originally demanded a total of N13 million, a sum that some families had to pay by selling their lands or taking out loans.
After receiving the N13 million ransom, the kidnappers shockingly demanded an additional N200 million, leaving the families devastated and questioning how they could possibly raise such an amount.
The story has ignited public outrage, with many in Akwa Ibom State expressing their disappointment in the government’s failure to protect its citizens.
Social media platforms and private radio stations are rife with critical commentary on the inability of security agencies to secure the release of the victims.
The Akwa Ibom State Police Command’s spokesperson, Odiko MacDon, was unavailable for comment when contacted for an update on the efforts being made in collaboration with the Zamfara State’s Command for the victims’ rescue.
