A mother of one of the prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members abducted along the Owerri-Onitsha Expressway has disclosed that she paid ₦6 million ransom to secure her son’s release.

The prospective corps members were abducted on October 1 when gunmen attacked two 18-seater buses travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to the NYSC orientation camp in Imo State.

Speaking in an interview with News Central Television, the woman said the kidnappers initially demanded ₦50 million for each victim before reducing the ransom for her son to ₦6 million.

She said the abductors later contacted the families and asked them to send representatives to Ibadan to negotiate the release of the victims.

According to her, the family initially offered ₦500,000 but the kidnappers rejected the amount.She said the abductors later demanded ₦15 million but eventually agreed to accept ₦6 million after continued negotiations.

The mother explained that her husband and her son’s elder brother were among the representatives who met with the kidnappers.She said the abductors directed them to transfer the ransom into an account and later convert the money into dollars after reaching Imo State.

The woman said her son’s elder brother eventually delivered the ransom and confirmed that the abductors had released the young man.

She added that she spoke with her son after his release, confirming that he was safe.The mother, whose identity was not disclosed, said the incident left her severely traumatised, adding that she could neither sleep nor function normally while her son remained in captivity.

The development comes amid growing concern over the safety of prospective corps members travelling to NYSC orientation camps across the country.