Governor Seyi Makinde has expressed joy over the release of prospective National Youth Service Corps members of Oyo State origin who were abducted in Imo State last Thursday.
The government’s position was contained in a statement by the Commissioner for Information, Prince Dotun Oyelade, made available to journalists in Ibadan on Wednesday.
Oyelade said, “The Oyo State Government is relieved at the release of our children from the bondage of abduction once again. We congratulate the Imo and Oyo State Governments and the Federal Government, too.”
“The Federal Government, which has the preponderance of power and capacity to effectively nip this embarrassing development in the bud, must be more proactive and live up to its promise to keep citizens safer across the land.
“It is worrisome that large pockets of kidnapping and banditry still dominate the Nigerian landscape, the constant robust assurances from the Presidency notwithstanding,” the commissioner said.
“At the last count, no fewer than 200 abducted Nigerians are still languishing in forests in circumstances in which government appears to have no clue,” he added.
Oyelade, however, did not confirm the number of corps members who regained freedom, and efforts to speak with him on the phone were unsuccessful, as calls put through to his mobile did not connect as of the time of filing this report.
PUNCH Online reports that the Imo and Oyo State Governments, in collaboration with security agencies, had been making concerted efforts to secure the release of the abductees.
Recall that the 20 graduates were travelling from Ibadan to their NYSC orientation camps last Thursday when gunmen attacked the two buses conveying them along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in Umunoha, Imo State.
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