A mother of one of the prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members abducted along the Owerri-Onitsha Expressway in Imo State has disclosed that her family paid N6 million to secure her son's release from captivity.

The woman, whose identity was not disclosed, said the kidnappers initially demanded N50 million for each victim before eventually agreeing to accept N6 million for her son.

She made the disclosure during an interview with News Central Television on Wednesday, recounting how her family struggled to raise the money demanded by the abductors.

According to her, the kidnappers initially insisted on N50 million per victim, rejecting the family's plea to pay N500,000.

She said the demand was later reduced to N15 million before the abductors eventually agreed to accept N6 million.

The woman explained that the kidnappers directed the victims' parents to send representatives to meet them in Ibadan to facilitate the ransom payment.

She said her husband and elder son participated in the arrangement, adding that the abductors instructed them to transfer the money to an account and later convert it to dollars upon reaching Imo State.

The mother said she was relieved when her elder son called to confirm that the ransom had been handed over and her abducted son had been released.

Recounting the psychological and physical effects of the incident, she said she had been unable to sleep and had experienced persistent stooling since her son was kidnapped.

The abduction occurred in the early hours of October 1, when gunmen reportedly attacked two 18-seater buses conveying passengers from Ibadan, Oyo State, towards Akwa Ibom and Abia states.

The attackers intercepted the vehicles, robbed the passengers and forced some of them into a nearby forest.

Ten victims were reportedly rescued shortly after the incident, while others remained in captivity.

The abductors subsequently contacted the victims' parents and demanded a ransom of N1 billion, giving them 24 hours to pay.

The demand was later reportedly reduced to N5 million per victim, amounting to N100 million for the 20 abductees.

Following the incident, the Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, deployed the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of operations, Shehu Nadada, to coordinate efforts to secure the victims' release.

The Nigeria Police Force later announced that the remaining victims had been rescued on October 7 at Amakohia Ubi Village in Imo State through a joint operation involving personnel of the Department of State Services, the military and the police.

The rescued victims were subsequently taken for medical assessment and necessary care.