An Ibadan-based mother, Mrs Alimot Akande, has made an emotional appeal to President Bola Tinubu, the Nigeria Police Force, the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and other security agencies to rescue her daughter and 18 other prospective corps members abducted while travelling to Abia State.
Speaking with journalists in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, on Thursday, Mrs Akande said the 19 young people left Ibadan on Wednesday aboard a commercial bus from the Sango area bound for Abia State. The passengers made a stopover in Onitsha around 10 p.m. that night before continuing their journey early on Thursday.
According to the distraught mother, her daughter managed to send a brief distress message that simply read “kidnappers!” shortly after the bus was attacked by suspected armed men between Anambra and Abia States in the early hours of Thursday.
“I am Mrs Alimot Akande. I am the parent of one of the victims,” she said. “I appeal to the Federal Government, the NYSC, the police and other security agencies to rescue my daughter and the others unhurt.”
Mrs Akande added that all efforts to reach her daughter since the incident have proved unsuccessful.
The abduction has heightened concerns over the safety of young Nigerians travelling across the country for national service.