These corps members were on their way from Uyo in Akwa Ibom State to Sokoto State to fulfil their mandatory national service when the tragic incident unfolded.
An anonymous source, shedding light on the incident, revealed that the group of corps members originally consisted of 11 individuals, but three were fortunate enough to escape from the clutches of the kidnappers. The source also confirmed that alongside the eight abducted corps members, the bus driver was also taken hostage.
“The corps members were offloaded (from the bus) and taken into the bush,” the source explained, adding that the police had managed to recover the abandoned bus. The group had embarked on their journey from Uyo on a Friday, spending the night in Abuja. It was during their onward journey to Sokoto that the unfortunate incident occurred.
One of the abducted corps members, Emmanuel Esudue, an agricultural and environmental engineering graduate from Akwa Ibom State University, was identified by a concerned Facebook user named Malachy Blessed. According to the Facebook post, Emmanuel's phone had been unreachable since the preceding Thursday.
Another victim of the incident was identified as Betty Udofia. A Facebook user named Edidiong Charles shared the distressing news that the kidnappers had reached out to Betty Udofia's parents, demanding a hefty ransom of N4 million for her release.
Despite efforts to obtain an official comment from the NYSC spokesperson, Eddy Megwa, there was no response from his end.
Additionally, when attempting to gain insight from the police spokesperson in Zamfara, Yazid Abubakar, he stated that he would need to verify the details of the incident before providing further information.
The incident once again sheds light on the concerning security situation in parts of Nigeria, particularly in regions like the North-West, where cases of kidnappings and violence have been on the rise.
The safety and well-being of citizens, especially young individuals like the NYSC members who were abducted, remain a pressing concern that authorities and security forces need to address effectively to restore peace and security to the affected areas.