By Milcah Tanimu
In a distressing incident, gunmen abducted eight members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) as they were traveling along a highway in Zamfara State, located in Nigeria’s North-west region. The unfortunate occurrence took place while the corps members were traveling from Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, to Sokoto State for their mandatory national service. The vehicle they were traveling in, an AKTC bus, was intercepted by the gunmen along the highway in Zamfara.
According to a source within the transport company, who preferred to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of the matter, the group of corps members initially numbered 11, but three managed to escape the clutches of the kidnappers. Apart from the eight corps members, the driver of the bus was also abducted. The source revealed that the abducted individuals were taken into the bush by the gunmen, while the police have successfully recovered the bus.
The group had commenced their journey from Uyo on Friday and had spent the night in Abuja. The incident occurred as they were en route to Sokoto. The incident has been reported to both government authorities and security agencies.
Social media posts have identified one of the abducted corps members as Emmanuel Esudue, a graduate of Agricultural and Environmental Engineering from Akwa Ibom State University. Additionally, another victim, Betty Udofia, has been named. The kidnappers have reportedly contacted Ms. Udofia’s parents, demanding a ransom of N4 million.
While the police spokesperson in Zamfara, Yazid Abubakar, is yet to confirm the incident, efforts to reach NYSC authorities for their response have been unsuccessful. Eddy Megwa, the NYSC spokesperson, has not responded to calls for comment on the situation.
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