The PUNCH reports that nine NYSC members, including a driver of the AKTC bus they were traveling in, were on August 17, 2023, kidnapped while traveling to Sokoto State for the mandatory service year.
Meanwhile, two of them, a male and a female have been freed after ransom was paid.
One of the parents, Solomon Emmanuel, who spoke with newsmen after their meeting in Uyo on Tuesday, expressed disappointment that they are yet to see in tangible terms what the government especially security agencies claimed they have been doing to rescue their children.
Emmanuel begged the government to come to their aid, saying it would serve as evidence of the steps they were taking to rescue their children.
He said, “I feel so bad when the government particularly security agencies say they are doing something to rescue those children. We only hear such things in the news, but we are not seeing results. The N70m those people are demanding currently is beyond us. We cannot afford that amount of money.
“So this is the time for the government to show that they are truly doing something about rescuing our children they sent to serve their fatherland in Sokoto State and on their way were kidnapped. That is why we decided to gather today and collectively appeal to the government for help.”
Also speaking, Mrs Idongesit expressed fears over the threat by the kidnappers last week that if they (parents) fail to raise the N70m ransom they should not hope of seeing their children again.
She said, “I felt happy when I saw other corps members traveling with my daughter. How could I have known that my daughter would not be safe traveling in AKTC? Till today I blame the AKTC for what happened to those children in Zamfara.
“We were told that the driver was told not to go through that route once it is 6pm but he didn’t listen. And after the first week the incident happened, I have not been able to talk to my child again because they collected their phones from them. It hurts when I think about the punishment, and suffering those chickens are passing through in the bush.
“These days I don’t sleep, I hardly eat. I spend the nights anguishing why nobody, not even our government has abandoned us in this situation. It’s sad and painful. We (parents) are helpless and desperate because all the people we have contacted have not given us any hope.
“We have met with even the paramount rulers to help us reach out to the Governor but since then no feedback. I used other avenues like using some governor’s aides but I doubt if Governor Umo Eno saw those letters we wrote to him for help more than one month ago.
“And I am telling Governor Eno, our federal and state lawmakers especially Senator Akpabio that we will not rest, we will continue to appeal to them to help bring back our children to us alive. Don’t let them die in Zamfara bush. We the parents are helpless. We need your urgent support because we have just a few days to pay the ransom. There is no time.”
