A new video from kidnappers has revealed that Abba, a member of the National Youth Service Corps, is still alive despite earlier fears that he had been killed.
The footage surfaced on Sunday and shows the young corps member speaking directly to the camera from what appears to be the kidnappers’ hideout. His appearance in the video sharply contradicts earlier statements from his family, who believed he had died after all communication with the abductors suddenly stopped.
For days, Abba’s relatives struggled with uncertainty. The kidnappers had gone silent even after the family paid a ransom of ten million naira. That silence pushed the family to assume the worst.
The Video That Changed Everything
In the newly released footage, Abba states that the video was recorded on the nineteenth day of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. That detail carries serious weight. It means he remained alive at a time when his family had already started mourning him.
The video shows him speaking calmly while seated in a simple environment that appears isolated and poorly lit. Although the kidnappers remain off camera, the setting strongly suggests the recording took place inside their hideout.
Cases like this often follow a psychological script. Kidnappers release proof of life videos to reassure families while also increasing pressure during negotiations.
Family Held Funeral Prayer After Silence
Before the video surfaced, Abba’s family believed they had lost him. After paying the ransom and receiving no response from the kidnappers, they feared the criminals had taken the money and killed him.
Faced with that painful possibility, the family organized a funeral prayer known in Islamic tradition as Janaza Gha’ib, a prayer performed when a person is believed to have died but the body is not available.
Communities usually hold this prayer to honor the deceased when burial cannot take place or when a body cannot be recovered. For Abba’s relatives, the ceremony served as both a spiritual duty and a moment of grief.
Now the video has completely changed that reality.
Kidnappers Make New Demands
Sources familiar with the situation say the kidnappers have not released Abba despite collecting the ransom. Instead, they have presented fresh demands.
The abductors now want two motorcycles as part of the conditions for his release.
This demand reflects a common tactic among kidnapping gangs operating in remote areas. Motorcycles provide fast transportation through forests, villages, and rough terrain where vehicles cannot easily travel. Criminal groups often rely on them to move hostages or escape security operations.
A Wider Security Problem
The abduction highlights the growing danger of kidnapping across parts of Nigeria. Criminal groups increasingly target travelers, students, farmers, and even participants in government programs like the National Youth Service Corps.
The NYSC program sends university graduates across the country for a mandatory year of national service. Nigeria created the program to promote unity and cultural understanding after the civil war.
But rising insecurity has turned many postings into sources of anxiety for families. Young graduates often find themselves in unfamiliar communities where criminal networks operate with little resistance.
A Family Holding Onto Hope
Abba’s family now faces a painful mix of relief and uncertainty.
The video proves he is alive, but it also confirms that he remains in captivity. Negotiations will likely continue as relatives and intermediaries try to meet the kidnappers’ new demands.
Kidnapping cases in Nigeria often stretch into long negotiations. Criminal groups sometimes raise their demands even after families pay large sums of money.
For Abba’s family, the situation remains simple and heartbreaking. They want their son back alive.
Across Nigeria, stories like this continue to expose the human cost of the country’s growing kidnapping crisis, where families must navigate fear, uncertainty, and difficult negotiations while waiting for a loved one to return home.
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