Gunmen, suspected to be bandits, have reportedly abducted over eight National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members, and in exchange for their release, they have demanded a ransom of four million Naira.

The incident occurred along a highway within Zamfara State last Friday.

The victims, who were traveling with an Akwa Ibom Transport Company (AKTC) bus from Uyo, the capital of Akwa Ibom State, to Sokoto State for their mandatory National Service, were ambushed by the bandits.

Emmanuel Eket, the father of one of the kidnapped victims named Glory Thomas, revealed in a telephone interview that his daughter had been providing updates on the ongoing situation in the bandits’ camps. He shared that the bandits contacted him using her phone to inform him of her abduction and demanded a ransom of N4 million for her release.

“They called me with her number, demanding the sum of N4 million. They allowed me to speak with my daughter because I asked how they wanted us to pay and my daughter said we should contact the AKTC,” the man added.

“Since that time, they have not called and I have not spoken with my daughter. I don’t know if they have released them but my daughter has not called me.” 

According to a report from Vistanaij Media there has been no official statement from the Zamfara State Police Command regarding the abduction.

Nevertheless, an undisclosed military source verified the kidnapping while emphasizing that a rescue team is presently searching the woodland to safely retrieve the victims.