The mother of one of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members abducted along the Owerri-Onitsha Expressway says her family paid N6 million to secure his release.
The corps members were abducted last Thursday while travelling along the busy highway.
Speaking in an interview with News Central Television on Wednesday, the woman said the kidnappers initially demanded N50 million for each victim.
She said the family tried to negotiate, but the abductors refused to lower their demand and allegedly resorted to threats.
“Initially, they asked us to pay N50 million per head. We asked whether the amount was for all of them, but they insisted that no, it was for each person,” she said.
According to the mother, the family eventually pleaded with the kidnappers to accept N500,000, but their request was rejected.
“Later, we started begging them to take N500,000. But they said no and started scaring us,” she added.
She said the negotiations eventually resulted in an agreement for N6 million to be paid for the release of her son.
The NYSC members were subsequently freed, although details surrounding their release and whether other families paid similar amounts were not immediately clear.
The incident has again raised concerns over the safety of travellers along the Owerri-Onitsha Expressway, particularly amid persistent reports of abductions on major roads in south-eastern Nigeria.
