September 4, 2023

The father of a corps member kidnapped in Zamfara State, Emmanuel Etteh has accused security agencies and the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) leadership of showing “no concern”.

His daughter was one of eight graduates abducted while en route from Uyo, Akwa Ibom State to their NYSC orientation camp in Sokoto on August 19, when suspected gunmen kidnapped them. Three other passengers on the Akwa Ibom Transport Company (AKTC) bus they were travelling in escaped.

In a live appearance on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Monday, Etteh described the over two-week-long ordeal as devastating, given the lack of communication on the part of the authorities.

“It is very devastating because, as a parent, I am very disappointed at the government. No one has been talking about or asking questions since this incident happened,” he said.

“Security agencies are not caring, NYSC leadership shows no concern, and everyone behaves as if nothing happened.

“Every activity is going on, and I keep on asking, ‘Is this a type of government we want for our country? Is this the type of security we can feel safer with?’ NYSC invited these children out of their homes to Sokoto.”

The distraught father said he expected the Director General of NYSC to demonstrate some level of commitment, arguing that they had failed to live up to expectations.

Etteh added that nobody cared to reach out to the parents or discuss the situation.

According to him, after the incident, “everyone went away” with no communication or sight of the children “as if nothing happened”.

Calling for government intervention, he said, “Everyone is boiling, people are asking questions.

“We are expecting the government to act, but nobody seems to act and address the nation or the parents on what happened, what the government is likely to do, or what they are doing to free these children. That is the state we find ourselves in now.”

Etteh recalled how he managed to get in touch with his daughter a few hours before learning that she was being held captive by bandits, noting that repeated attempts to call the same phone number proved abortive.

In the aftermath of the unfortunate incident, the father confirmed to Channels Television that the bandits demanded N4 million as ransom to secure the release of his daughter.

A military source who preferred anonymity also disclosed that a rescue team was combing the forest in order to rescue the victims unhurt.