A National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member serving in Oyo State, Rofiat Lawal, has been abducted by unidentified gunmen along the Benin-Ore Expressway.
A friend of the victim, Agbakwara, revealed the incident in a Facebook post on Wednesday, explaining that Lawal was traveling from Benin City, the capital of Edo State, to Ibadan en route to Ogbomoso, where she was to report at her NYSC place of primary assignment when she was kidnapped on Tuesday.
According to Agbakwara, the abductors are demanding a ₦20 million ransom for her release.
“My close friend, Lawal Rofiat Kofoworola, was kidnapped while traveling from Benin to Ibadan to resume at her PPA in Ogbomosho. She managed to call me yesterday and said she was inside an Ore-bound bus when she was taken,” she wrote.
She further shared that Lawal struggled through university by working at a company in Benin City to support herself. She expressed distress over how to raise the ransom, given Lawal’s humble background.
“This is someone who has worked tirelessly to fund her education by working at Dufil Company in Benin. Now, kidnappers are demanding ₦20 million, which her parents, who are less privileged, cannot afford.
“I reported the case to the NYSC secretariat in Ibadan and provided her call-up number, but there has been no response. Please, Nigerians, I need your support. If anyone can help spread this message, reach out to the authorities, or assist in any way, please do. She has been my close friend since my first year in university, and I have been devastated since this happened,” Agbakwara pleaded.
Confirming the incident on Thursday, the Oyo State NYSC Coordinator, Odoba Oche, stated that security agencies had been informed and were taking necessary action.
He added that the NYSC was only made aware of the abduction after Lawal’s parents reported it on Wednesday. The matter has since been escalated to the NYSC National Headquarters as well as the Ondo and Edo State NYSC offices.
However, Oche noted that Lawal traveled to Benin without notifying the NYSC, which violates the scheme’s guidelines.
“The NYSC has consistently advised corps members to inform authorities before traveling and to avoid night journeys,” he emphasized.
