The 20 prospective members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) who were recently freed after being kidnapped in Imo State have reportedly been given the option to choose any of the six South-West states for their national service.
The decision is expected to allow the affected graduates to continue their mandatory one-year service without having to return to locations they may consider unsafe following their abduction.
According to a report by Punch, a parent of one of the rescued graduates disclosed that the victims could select any state in the South-West to continue their service alongside the current NYSC batch.
“They have been given the opportunity to choose states in the South-West to continue their service with the current batch,” the parent said.
The 20 prospective corps members were reportedly abducted on October 1 while travelling along the Owerri-Onitsha Road, near Umunoha in the Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State.
The graduates were travelling in two commercial buses operated by Uko Akwa Ibom Motors and were said to be heading towards Abia and Akwa Ibom states when they were intercepted by suspected kidnappers.
Reports indicated that the abductors demanded a ransom of ₦50 million for each of the victims before their eventual release.
The Imo State Police Command announced on Wednesday that the abducted graduates had been rescued at Amakohia Ubi Village in the Owerri West Local Government Area of the state.
Their release brought relief to their families and other concerned Nigerians after days of uncertainty over their whereabouts and safety.
The reported arrangement allowing the graduates to choose their preferred states in the South-West is expected to enable them to resume their national service with the current batch while addressing concerns about their safety.
The NYSC has yet to be quoted directly on the reported relocation arrangement.
