KOGI STATE — In a dramatic turn of events, the 15 National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members who were kidnapped while traveling to Abuja have regained their freedom. Contrary to widespread claims of a direct military rescue operation, new reports indicate that the youths boldly escaped their captors’ den and fled to a nearby village in Kogi State before soldiers arrived to secure them.
The corps members had been abducted weeks ago while in transit from the NYSC Permanent Orientation Camp in Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
A brother to one of the abductees, Ayodele David, clarified the timeline of their freedom on Monday evening, confirming that the youths took their survival into their own hands.
“According to the call we got from him, my brother called from a random number, stating that he had escaped to a nearby village, and they immediately contacted soldiers and security agents around,” David’s brother disclosed.
Upon reaching the safety of the undisclosed Kogi village, the escapees borrowed a local resident’s mobile phone to contact their anxious families. The parents quickly forwarded the contact information of the soldiers they had been communicating with throughout the ordeal. Using this information, the military operatives were able to mobilize in large numbers to the village to retrieve the exhausted youths.
The escape came not a moment too soon. Recounting his harrowing experience, David stated that the armed abductors had issued a grim ultimatum, threatening to kill the hostages after one month in captivity. Just days prior on August 29, it was reported that the captors demanded a staggering ₦35 million ransom for the release of just one of the 15 kidnapped corps members.
The retrieved corps members are currently safe and are awaiting imminent reunification with their relieved families.
Stay tuned to ABT NEWS INSIDER for more updates on this developing story.
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