Bandits kidnap two prospective NYSC members, police confirm

Police Command in Zamfara, Friday confirmed that bandits had abducted two prospective corps members deployed from Benue to Kebbi and Sokoto states.

The Command’s Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mohammed Shehu, disclosed this in a statement in Gusau, Zamfara.

Shehu said the Zamfara Police Command had received report of the abduction from the State Coordinator, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Zamfara State, Namalam Taura, in Gusau.

According to the police spokesman, the report indicated that two prospective corps members deployed from Benue to Kebbi and Sokoto States were among the victims abducted by bandits along Tsafe –Gusau road on Tuesday October 19, 2021 at about 22.30 hours.

Shehu said the command received the report on Friday, October 22, 2021 when the Commissioner of Police, Ayuba Elkanah, visited the Orientation Camp at Tsafe, Tsafe Local Government Area.

He said that Elkanah had visited the NYSC Orientation Camp to assess the existing security emplacement, specifically to ensure safety and security of the prospective corps members arriving at the camp for the two weeks orientation exercise.

“It could be recalled that on October 19, 2021, at about 2230 hours, a vehicle with registration number GBK 339 ZY was blocked by armed bandits along Tsafe- Gusau road while travelling from Benue to Sokoto State.

“The vehicle was attacked while passing through Wanzamai Village in Tsafe LGA. This resulted to the abduction of some passengers whose identities and number remained unknown,” Shehu said.

The police spokesman added that the Command had commenced investigation into the incident with a view to establishing the actual number of persons abducted.

He also informed that the command had deployed a team of security forces on search and rescue operation to rescue the victims.

Shehu said that CP Elkanah assured the NYSC coordinator and the corps members of police commitment to safeguard their lives, even as he enjoined them to be security conscious and restrict their movement while in the camp.

Bandits contact victims’ families, demand N2m ransom

Meanwhile, the bandits have reportedly demanded a ransom of N2m each fro families of the victims, who have also been identified as Jennifer Iorliam and Joseph Aondona, who are Benue indigenes kidnapped along with two other commuters in the bus they were travelling in.

The driver of the bus and some passengers were said to have escaped and reported the incident at police stations in Zamfara and Benue states.

According to Judith Benson, elder sister of 29-year-old Iorliam, the kidnappers had reached out to the family and demanded N2m ransom.

She said the kidnappers revealed that they moved to Gusau where the mobile network ban had been lifted to make calls and vowed to return the victims to the forest if the ransom was not paid on time.

“The bandits have contacted us. They called my mother’s line and allowed my sister to talk to us. They kidnapped four Benue people together with my sister and another corps member named Joseph. The first time they called us, they demanded N3m. After we begged them, they reduced it to N2m. They said they would collect N2m for each of them.

“They told us they would wait somewhere in Gusau where there is network till tomorrow (Friday) and if they didn’t hear from us they would take them back to the bush. They said they wanted cash and that one person should bring the ransom to Gusau.

“My sister and Joseph were going to the orientation camp in Kebbi State. They boarded a bus to Sokoto from where they would take another bus to Kebbi. They were kidnapped around Tsafe Local Government in Zamfara on Tuesday.

“The driver that escaped said he reported to the police in Zamfara and Benue states. We don’t know how to get the money they are asking for. Our dad is dead and our mum is a poor widow,” Benson stated.