The Imo State Commissioner of Police, Audu Bosso, has denied knowledge of any ransom payment for the release of 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members and a civilian abducted along the Owerri-Onitsha Road.
He made the denial barely 24 hours after the victims were rescued by security agents, five days after their abduction.
Bosso, who spoke in an interview with Channels Television on Thursday, said sustained pressure from security operatives forced the abductors to release the victims.
He said the operation involved the police, Army, Navy, Air Force, Department of State Services (DSS) and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), which combed forests and locations around Amako community where intelligence indicated the victims might be held.
“At the end of the day, because of the pressure we gave the hoodlums, they eventually released the prospective corps members, and we got them rescued,” he said.
Asked about reports that the victims’ families collectively paid about N120 million in ransom, Bosso said he was not aware of any payment.
“To my knowledge, no. I am not aware whether a ransom was paid, but we did what we were supposed to do as professionals, and that’s how we got them,” he said.
His comments came hours after a parent of one of the abducted prospective corps members told News Central Television that families had paid ransom to secure their release.
The mother said her family paid N6 million in dollars for her son’s release after the abductors initially demanded N50 million per victim.
She said negotiations eventually reduced the demand to N6 million per victim, adding that relatives of the victims travelled to Imo State to coordinate the payment.
Meanwhile, Bosso said security operatives were still combing the area to track down and arrest the abductors.
He added that the rescued victims were receiving medical attention at the DSS hospital and would be handed over to the NYSC Director-General.
Bosso also disclosed that the Inspector-General of Police had deployed additional tactical teams, mobile police personnel and intelligence response teams to Imo State to strengthen security along the Owerri-Onitsha Road and other identified flashpoints.