The 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members abducted by gunmen in Imo State have allegedly been subjected to physical assault by their captors, including female victims, as the kidnappers reportedly reduced their ransom demand to N5 million per victim.

The development came as the reported deadline given by the abductors for payment of the ransom approached, heightening anxiety among the victims’ families.

One of the affected relatives, Alhaja Alimot Akande, whose 25-year-old sister, Kehinde Akande, is among the abducted graduates, said the victims had allegedly been beaten since Saturday.

Akande described the situation as “horrible, scary and overwhelming”, appealing to the government to intensify efforts to secure their release.

She said the kidnappers had reduced their initial demand from N50 million per victim to N5 million each.

“They are still demanding N5 million. They have come down to N5 million each,” she said, confirming that the demand was for each of the 20 victims.

Akande said she could not confirm how much had been raised towards the ransom because she was not privy to arrangements between the abductors and other families.

She alleged that her sister told her the kidnappers had started beating the victims.

“Sir, we appeal to the government to please assist us in getting them rescued out of that place. When I spoke to my sister, they started beating them since yesterday,” she said.

Asked whether female victims were also being assaulted, she replied: “They are not sparing anybody. They are beating all of them.”

Akande further said one of the abducted corps members had been allowed to communicate with his father, alleging that the kidnappers monitored the calls to assess the family’s ability to raise the ransom.

She said the abductors would alert the victim whenever his father called and allow him to speak with him.

The families, she added, had been relying on assurances from the police while efforts continued to raise the ransom.

“The police are telling us to still be buying time. We are still looking for the money. Depending, they will see them rescued,” she said.

Meanwhile, the Oyo State Government said it was maintaining contact with the Imo State Government and security agencies as efforts intensified to secure the release of the abducted graduates.

The state Commissioner for Information, Prince Dotun Oyelade, said the government was actively involved in the rescue efforts despite the incident occurring outside Oyo State.

Oyelade said the government was drawing on its experience from the recent abduction of students and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area in its engagement with the Imo authorities.

“We are in close contacts at government-to-government level and actively with the security apparatus in Oyo and Imo states,” he said.

He said the state was sharing its experience and template from the Oriire kidnapping, adding that the report of the Judicial Inquiry headed by Justice (Professor) Mojeed Owoade was also being used in the discussions.

Oyelade explained that the government would not disclose every aspect of its strategy because of the sensitive nature of the operation.

“Governments all over the world are not in the habit of disclosing all they are planning in delicate situations like this,” he said.

The commissioner, however, said the Federal Government and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces should provide answers on the broader national security response to the incident.

“The pushback should be on the Federal Government and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, who are in charge of national security, on what they have done in 72 hours,” he said.

Oyelade also referred to Governor Seyi Makinde’s recent intervention over the abduction of students in Borno State, noting that the Borno incident occurred on the same day as the Oriire abduction.

He said Makinde had appealed to the Federal Government to expedite action on the rescue of the abducted Borno students.

Reaffirming the state’s commitment to the victims, Oyelade said the fact that the graduates were abducted in Imo did not absolve the Oyo Government of its responsibility to its citizens.

“Oyo State Government had not and will not abandon its citizens. We will continue to work endlessly and desperately to secure the release of our children,” he said.

The 20 prospective corps members were abducted on Thursday while travelling from Ibadan to their respective NYSC orientation camps in two buses.

The vehicles were reportedly attacked by gunmen along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in Umunoha, Imo State, while the graduates were travelling to orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states.

The incident triggered concern among the affected families, particularly after the parents said the kidnappers initially demanded N50 million for each victim — N1 billion in total — and gave them a 24-hour ultimatum to raise the money.

The parents subsequently sought the intervention of the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, during a visit to his private residence in Bodija, Ibadan.

They were accompanied by the Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Abimbola, and the Aseyin of Iseyinland, Oba Sefiu Adeyeri.

The parents appealed to the monarch to intervene, saying they could not raise the N1 billion ransom demanded.

“They have been calling us since yesterday (Friday) with a demand for N50 million ransom each. They are threatening that anything untoward will happen to our children if we fail to heed to their request,” the parents said.

“There is no way we can raise such an amount at this period. Baba, kindly assist us. Don’t let them kill our children.”

Ladoja assured the families that efforts were being made to secure the victims’ release.

“I want to assure that your children would be rescued unharmed. We will relate whatever information we gather to you,” he said.

The Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Abimbola, also said he had remained in contact with his Imo counterpart since the incident.

“I had already contacted Imo State CP. We have been talking since the day of incident, and he assured me that the victims would be rescued unhurt,” Abimbola said.