Emotional scenes of tears, tight embraces and prayers of gratitude filled the Department of State Services (DSS) headquarters in Aleshinloye, Ibadan, on Thursday evening as 20 rescued prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members were reunited with their families after seven harrowing days in captivity.

The young graduates, who had been abducted on 1 October while travelling from Oyo State to orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states, were handed over to their parents and relatives around 8:30pm after undergoing debriefing by security operatives. Families had waited for about three hours outside the facility before the emotional reunion.

Some parents wept openly upon seeing their children, while others simply held their hands in silence as they walked toward waiting vehicles. One mother, Faith Felicia Abiala, struggled to hold back tears as she spoke: “I cannot recount all the tears and sorrow, but I give thanks to God that I am seeing her alive today. On the day she was taken, I was so devastated I couldn’t even eat, but today my heart is filled with joy.”

The 20 victims were among 30 prospective corps members travelling in two buses when gunmen attacked them along the Owerri-Onitsha expressway near Umunoha in Imo State. Ten managed to escape into the bush during the assault, while the remaining 20 were taken into the forest. They regained their freedom on Wednesday, 7 October, following a joint operation involving the DSS, military and police, and were later brought to Ibadan.

One of the freed members, Akande Morenikeji, described the seven days as “stressful” and “mentally and physically draining.” She said the female captives were not chained or sexually harassed, though the male victims faced greater restrictions. Reports on whether ransom was paid remain mixed, with some families earlier claiming they had paid millions of naira, while one of the freed members insisted no ransom was paid.

The reunion brought long-awaited relief after a week of anxiety during which kidnappers initially demanded as much as ₦1 billion (₦50 million per person) before reportedly reducing the figure. Parents thanked security agencies and called on the Federal Government to improve protection for corps members travelling to their service locations, with some suggesting air travel as a safer alternative for long-distance journeys.

Police say efforts to apprehend those responsible for the abduction are ongoing.

• ABU, Zaria

Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, has reviewed upward increase in registration charges ahead of the 2026/2027 academic session.

The ABU increase will see students paying between N143,000 and N298,000 depending on their programme and level of study.

The new rates represent a significant increase from the N62,000 to N84,000 range paid during the previous academic session.

The Governing Council approved the revised charges at its 218th Special Meeting on September 29, following a resolution of the university Senate and consultations with stakeholders.

The increase is particularly steep for students in professional, medical and science-based programmes.

For instance, Medicine and Surgery students at 100 level will now pay N242,000, up from N82,000, while Dentistry has risen from N82,625 to N242,000.

Law students will pay N182,000, compared with N82,625 previously, while those studying Civil, Computer, Electrical and Mechanical Engineering will pay N172,000, up from N82,625. Nursing Science has increased from N78,875 to N212,000, while Medical Laboratory Science and Medical Radiography will also attract N212,000 at 100 level.

Veterinary Medicine rose from N82,625 to N232,000, while Computer Science increased from N82,625 to N172,000.

Students in Accounting, Economics and Public Administration will now pay N152,000, compared with N75,125 previously.

Accuses APC of Desperate Cover-Up

The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has described the Federal Government’s newly announced 30-day petrol discount at NNPC stations as mere tokenism and a deceptive “Greek gift” from an administration that removed fuel subsidy without adequate planning or relief measures for citizens.

Reacting to the announcement by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Taiwo Oyedele, the party said the policy does not amount to a return of subsidy but is simply a temporary cost-price sale of petrol at NNPC outlets, with priority for public transporters.

“Nigerians cannot be deceived,” the NDC stated. “This is nothing but tokenism from a government that whimsically removed fuel subsidy without proper consideration, consultation, or cushions for the people.”

The party questioned what concrete relief the measure offers to the millions of Nigerians who lost jobs and businesses following the subsidy removal, or to those who died in under-equipped public hospitals that have become “mortuaries.”

According to the NDC, the move reveals desperation on the part of President Bola Tinubu and the APC. It accused the government of attempting to reintroduce petrol subsidy through the backdoor — a sign, it said, of an administration “in free fall, ready to clutch at anything to survive.”

The party also criticised the practicality of the plan, asking how the limited number of NNPC retail outlets can effectively serve over 200 million Nigerians without creating dangerous stampedes at filling stations.

“The only answer staring Nigerians in the face is that the economy is in a tailspin and at a tipping point,” the statement read. “The APC has shown itself glaringly incapable of rescuing the country from imminent collapse.”

Looking ahead, the NDC expressed confidence that former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi, under its platform, would restore the country to the right path. It called on Nigerians to turn out en masse on 16 January 2027 to vote for Obi and other NDC candidates, describing the current administration as “the most clueless and rudderless government in the history of Nigeria.”

“A New Nigeria is POssible with Obi,” the party declared.