Gunmen have abducted eight National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members in Zamfara State.

The Guardian learnt that the corps members were travelling in Akwa Ibom Transport Company (AKTC) bus from Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, to Sokoto State, for the one-year national service, when their vehicle was intercepted by the hoodlums.

A source in the transport company, who pleaded anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on the incident, confirmed the incident, yesterday.

In the bus, according to the source, were 11 corps members and the driver, but three of the corps members escaped.

The eight corps members were abducted alongside the driver, The Guardian learnt.

He said: “They left here (Uyo) on Friday, and slept over in Abuja. It was when they were proceeding to Sokoto that they were kidnapped. The corps members were offloaded (from the bus) and taken into the bush. The police have recovered the bus.”

He said the incident had been reported to the authorities and security agencies.

About 9:14 a.m. on Sunday, a Facebook user, Malachy Blessed, identified one of the abducted corps members as Emmanuel Esudue, a graduate of Agricultural and Environmental Engineering, Akwa Ibom State University.

He said Esudue’s phone number had been unreachable since Thursday.

Another victim was identified as Betty Udofia. Edidiong Richard posted on Facebook that the kidnappers had contacted Ms Udofia’s parents, demanding N4 million ransom.

“My niece, Victoria Udoka, a graduate of Mass Communication from University of Uyo, was in the same bus to Sokoto for NYSC orientation.

“The kidnappers demanded a ransom of N4 million. Please, pray for their release and whoever has contact with Akwa Ibom State Government House should help me call on our dear Governor Umo Eno to contact his counterpart in Sokoto for urgent intervention,” a respondent stated. (The Guardian)

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