Parents of one of the 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps members abducted in Imo State have said the money contributed by their family to secure his release has been refunded.
Obasanjo and Alirat Wahab, whose son was among the victims, disclosed that the families had received their contributions back, although they could not confirm whether the ransom was eventually paid to the kidnappers.
The 20 prospective corps members were kidnapped on October 1 along the Owerri-Onitsha Expressway after gunmen attacked two 18-seater buses conveying passengers from Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, to Anambra State.
The kidnappers initially demanded N1 billion from the victims’ families before reducing the amount to N5 million per person, bringing the total ransom demand to N100 million.
On Wednesday, the Nigeria Police Force spokesperson, Anietie Iniedu, announced that the victims had been rescued after seven days in captivity. The operation involved personnel of the Department of State Services, the military and the police.
According to the police, the rescue took place in Amakohia Ubi village, Imo State.
Speaking after her son regained freedom, Alirat told News Central that her family had paid N6 million to the kidnappers to secure his release.
However, in a subsequent interview with the media platform, Obasanjo said he could not establish whether the representatives selected by the community had handed over the ransom to the abductors.
He confirmed that the money contributed by the families had been returned, including the N6 million provided by his household.
Obasanjo did not identify the person or group responsible for returning the funds or explain how the refunds were arranged.
“They went to look for the kidnapped corps members to see whether they would be freed or not,” he said.
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“The kidnappers had asked for representatives to bring the ransom. Since they could no longer hold the corps members hostage, they let them go.”
When asked to provide more information about the circumstances surrounding the incident and the return of the money, Obasanjo urged that the matter be put behind them.
“You know what, let’s forget the matter and just appeal to the Imo state government. We should be grateful to them,” he said.
“The money has been returned. We just want to thank Imo for a job well done.”
Asked directly whether the ransom had been paid, Obasanjo said, “we don’t know”.
“One person was chosen from my family and the other two from other families,” he said.
Alirat also confirmed that the refunds were made through the individuals who had been selected to represent the affected families during the negotiations.
“They returned it to those who went to represent us. Every parent has received their money back,” she said.
Although the families have confirmed receiving their contributions, Obasanjo’s remarks indicate that they remain uncertain about whether the demanded ransom was ultimately delivered to the kidnappers.