•The rescued Youth Corps members
After a seven-day ordeal, the rescued prospective Corps members have reunited with their families in Ibadan, Oyo State.
DSS Oyo State headquarters in Aleshinloye released them to their family members around 8:30pm yesterday, reports The Nation.
Their parents and family members received them after waiting about three hours at the DSS Headquarters, where the youths were debriefed upon arrival in the capital city.
Before the freed youths reunited with their families, a DSS operative had addressed the parents and family members, urging them not to take photos or record anything during the wait.
This information made parents reluctant to share details, even after they received the youths.
However, emotional scenes of relief and gratitude unfolded as the young graduates reunited with their families; they had been rescued from kidnappers after spending seven harrowing days in captivity in Imo State.
While some parents shed tears of joy upon seeing their children, others were too emotional to hold back tears and could only hold their children’s hands as they walked into the waiting vehicles.
The young graduates, who departed Ibadan on October 1 bound for orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states before being ambushed along the Owerri-Onitsha Road, gathered under tight security following their successful release through a joint operation involving the Department of State Services (DSS), the police, and sister security agencies.
The seven-day ordeal triggered intense anxiety across Oyo State, prompting distressed parents to storm the private residence of the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, alongside top state officials to solicit traditional and governmental intervention.
Reliving the traumatising experience in captivity following their rescue on October 7 at Amakohia Ubi village in Imo State, one of the Corps members, Akande Morenikeji, described the period as mentally and physically draining but clarified key details regarding their treatment by the abductors.
“Ah, it was stressful, too,” Morenikeji recounted, dispelling rumours that the captives were restrained in heavy chains.
Addressing concerns regarding physical abuse and gender-based violence, she explained, “No, we were not chained; the guys, yes, the guys mostly. But as for us, the girls, they did not do any sexual harassment to us. They did not do anything sexual to us.”
The reunion brought long-sought solace to families who had endured a week of agonising uncertainty, during which ransom demands as high as N1 billion were initially floated by the bandits.
A parent identified as Mrs Akande expressed overwhelming joy, noting the stark contrast between the days of suspense and the moment news of their safety broke.
“It is good news! Good news! Good news!” she exclaimed, adding that the emotional weight lifted immediately: “Ah! Immediately I heard they were released yesterday, I slept soundly!”
She firmly stated that no financial compensation was given to the perpetrators to secure their freedom, declaring, “Ah, no ransom! Alhamdulillahi, we didn’t pay any ransom.”
Speaking on behalf of affected families, another mother of a rescued corps member, Faith Felicia Abiala, recounted the emotional toll the seven-day abduction took on parents.
“I cannot recount all the tears and sorrow, but I give thanks to God that I am seeing her alive today. On the day she was taken, I was so devastated I couldn’t even eat, but today my heart is filled with joy,” Abiala said.
She commended the coordinated security response that led to the safe return of the youth prospective corps members, stating, “I thank God, and I thank the DSS officials—they really tried. The team from Oyo State and the team from Imo State, they really tried and stood by us until our children came out safe and sound.”
Reflecting on the grave risks of long-distance interstate transit for national service, Abiala urged public authorities to review transport safety for youth corps members urgently.
“My advice to the government is that when Corps members are posted to their service states, they should ensure proper security arrangements — or allow them to travel by air to avoid these kinds of dangerous road journeys,” she urged.
The rescued Corps members have since undergone medical evaluations in Owerri and Ibadan, as security operatives continue operations to track down the perpetrators.
