A graduate of the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), Rhoda Odeyale, has been abducted by gunmen while travelling to the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) orientation camp in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
She was reportedly kidnapped alongside other passengers on an inter-state commercial bus on Wednesday.
According to sources close to the family, the kidnappers have demanded a ransom of N2.5 million for her release. So far, her family has managed to raise N1 million, leaving a balance of N1.5 million.
Pleas for public assistance have flooded social media as loved ones and well-wishers rally to secure her release.
“The kidnappers contacted her parents, requesting N2.5 million. We’ve only raised N1 million so far. She was on her way to the NYSC camp in Port Harcourt when it happened. The police are also working on it,” a family source said.
According to reports, at least three people were kidnapped in the incident, though the exact number remains unconfirmed.
According to reports, at least three people were kidnapped in the incident, though the exact number remains unconfirmed.
Kidnappings involving NYSC members have grown increasingly common across the country.
In August 2024, eight corps members travelling to Sokoto for orientation were abducted in Zamfara State. While six were released after nine months, one spent an entire year in captivity before regaining freedom.
The incident has renewed calls for the federal government to scrap the NYSC scheme, with many saying it has outlived its usefulness.
The NYSC is a mandatory, post-tertiary scheme set up by the Nigerian government during the military regime of Head of State, Yakubu Gowon, to “reconstruct, reconcile and rebuild the country after the Nigerian Civil war”.
