Kidnappers abduct 10 passengers on Ijebu-Ode–Ibadan Road, increase ransom from ₦20m to ₦25m after family begs for time

• Gunmen abducted 10 passengers, including a recently discharged NYSC member, along the Ijebu-Ode–Ibadan Road in Ogun State.

• The kidnappers increased their ransom demand from ₦20 million to ₦25 million after the victims' family pleaded for more time.

• One corps member escaped and said the attackers struck after the bus reportedly left the main road and entered a bush path.

• Police confirmed the abduction while search efforts by security operatives and vigilantes remain ongoing.

What was meant to be a journey home after completing the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has turned into a nightmare for one young Nigerian and nine other passengers.

Gunmen abducted 10 passengers travelling in a commercial bus along the Ijebu-Ode–Ibadan Road in Ogun State after reportedly intercepting the vehicle and taking the victims into a nearby forest.

Among those kidnapped was Dapo, a corps member who had just completed his NYSC programme in Edo State and was travelling back to Ibadan.

According to his sister, Abigael, Dapo had been updating the family throughout his journey and even sent a video showing heavy traffic shortly before all communication stopped.

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"On Tuesday, my brother was on his way back from Edo; he was posted to Edo State for NYSC. He did his POP last week. So he was on his way back to Ibadan. He was still giving us updates about his journey, and at some point, he posted that there was traffic. I have the videos on my phone. That was the last time we heard from him," she said.

She explained that the family later received a call from another corps member who had escaped during the attack, informing them that Dapo and nine other passengers had been taken away by armed men.

According to the family, the incident was reported at the Ijebu-Ode Police Station, but the kidnappers later contacted them using Dapo's phone.

The abductors initially demanded ₦20 million before increasing the ransom to ₦25 million after the family pleaded for more time.

Abigael said the kidnappers gave them only 24 hours to pay.

She also revealed that although the commercial bus and the passengers' belongings had been recovered and taken to the police station, the victims were still being held in captivity.

Appealing for urgent government intervention, she said the families could not afford the ransom.

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"Please, we are calling on the government and the security operatives to help us because they have been in the bush since Tuesday. They have already spent two nights with them, and we don't even have the ₦25 million to raise.

"We need our brother back; we need the other victims back."

The corps member who escaped also shared his account of the attack, claiming the driver suddenly left the main road after they encountered traffic.

He said passengers became suspicious and asked the driver to turn back, but he continued driving into a bush path.

"As we were travelling, shortly after passing through Ijebu, heading towards Ibadan, it was around 7.00 p.m. We just saw that our driver turned, facing into the bush.

"Before we knew what was happening, the suspected herders launched attacks; they were shooting guns repeatedly. They shot someone, but I just hid inside the bush.

"All I knew was that I found myself in the bush after they had taken others away. Some of the abducted passengers left their phones in the bus. It was a very tough time."

He added that police officers and local vigilantes later entered the forest in search of the victims.

A senior police source in the Ogun State Police Command also confirmed that passengers were abducted along the Ijebu-Ode–Ibadan Road but did not provide further details about the ongoing rescue efforts.

The incident adds to growing concerns over insecurity on major highways across Nigeria, where kidnappings for ransom have become increasingly common.