Twenty prospective members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) who were abducted while travelling to their orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states have regained their freedom after spending seven days in captivity in Imo State. The graduates were kidnapped along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in Imo State on October 1. They regained freedom on October 7 after a joint security operation involving the Department of State Services (DSS), the military, and the Nigeria Police Force.
The prospective corps members were abducted from two buses heading towards Bende in Abia State and Uyo in Akwa Ibom State. The buses were stopped by gunmen around Umunoha in Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State at about 6:30 a.m. The attackers forced some of the passengers into the surrounding bush, triggering a search operation that would continue for the next seven days. There was initially some confusion over the number of people taken, with the Imo State Police Command saying 10 passengers had been rescued, while families of the missing graduates disputed this account.
The families of the missing graduates later confirmed that 20 prospective corps members remained in captivity, and they appealed for help as the security agencies intensified their search. The kidnappers reportedly contacted relatives and demanded ₦50 million for each of the 20 victims, putting the initial ransom demand at ₦1 billion. The abductors gave the families 24 hours to raise the money. Some relatives subsequently appealed to the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, for assistance in securing the release of the graduates.
As the security operation continued, the ransom demand was reportedly reduced. By October 5, the kidnappers were said to have lowered their demand to ₦5 million per victim, reducing the total from ₦1 billion to ₦100 million. The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, deployed Deputy Inspector-General of Police Shehu Nadada to Imo State to coordinate the police response and reinforce the teams searching for the victims.
The search eventually led security operatives to the suspected location where the kidnappers were holding the graduates. The Imo State Commissioner of Police, Audu Bosso, said security personnel had used drone surveillance to locate the suspected camp and had received intelligence indicating that the area had been planted with improvised explosive devices. This meant a direct assault could have placed the hostages and the rescuers at serious risk.
Security agencies therefore prepared additional equipment, including bulldozers and armoured personnel carriers, as they worked out how to reach the captives without triggering the reported explosives. After days of surveillance and planning, the operation finally resulted in the release of the 20 prospective corps members on October 7. The victims were freed alongside another person who had also been abducted and were taken to the DSS Hospital in Owerri for medical attention.
The NYSC Director-General, Brigadier General Olakunle Oluseye Nafiu, later visited the victims at the DSS facility in Owerri, accompanied by the Imo State Commissioner of Police, Audu Bosso, the Director of the DSS in the state, and the Commander of the 34 Artillery Brigade. The authorities have not disclosed all the details of the final rescue operation, and it remains unclear whether any ransom was paid or whether any of the suspected kidnappers were arrested.
Key points
- The 20 prospective corps members were abducted along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in Imo State on October 1.
- The kidnappers initially demanded ₦1 billion for the release of the victims.
- The victims were rescued on October 7 after a joint security operation involving the DSS, the military, and the Nigeria Police Force.
