The Imo State Police Command and the 34 Artillery Brigade, Owerri, have launched a joint operation to rescue 19 prospective National Youth Service Corps members abducted in Umunoha, Ogbaku, in the Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State. According to DSP Henry Okoye, the Police Public Relations Officer for the Imo State Police Command, security operatives are conducting an operation to rescue the victims and are gradually closing in on the abductors.
The abduction occurred on Thursday at about 6:30 am when two fully loaded commercial buses travelling from Ibadan to Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, and Bende, Abia State, were attacked by gunmen at Umunoha, a location known as “No Man’s Land”, Ogbaku. The Managing Director of Uko Akwa Ibom Motors Nigeria Limited, Isiah Akpan, disclosed that the abductors took 19 passengers, all prospective corps members, into the bush, while the drivers escaped and alerted security personnel at a nearby checkpoint.
Major Hashimu Abdullahi, the Public Relations Officer of the 34 Artillery Brigade, Owerri, assured that all necessary efforts are being made in collaboration with all relevant security agencies to rescue the kidnapped travellers. Abdullahi stated that the situation is receiving the required attention, and every available avenue is being explored to ensure a positive outcome. The Army will update the media immediately if there are significant developments.
The Imo State Commissioner of Police, Audu Garba Bosso, revealed on Saturday that the command had identified the location where the 19 prospective National Youth Service Corps members are being held. However, security operatives have delayed moving into the camp over fears that it is planted with improvised explosive devices. Bosso stated that the police used drones on Friday to locate the suspected camp after security operatives trailed the abductors into the bush.
Bosso further explained that the security agencies are preparing to move into the area with heavy equipment, including bulldozers and armoured personnel carriers, in an effort to rescue the victims safely. The abductors have reportedly demanded N50m for each of the 19 victims, amounting to N950m, with some families contacted through the phones of their abducted relatives. Parents and family members of the kidnapped prospective corps members have appealed for intervention.
The parents, who visited the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, at his private residence in Bodija, Ibadan, alongside the state Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Abimbola, and the Aseyin of Iseyinland, Oba Sefiu Adeyeri, appealed for help in securing the release of their children. The abductors have been contacting them through the mobile phones of the kidnapped prospective corps members, demanding ransom and threatening harm if their demands are not met.
In the past, security forces had targeted and raided Eastern Security Network forest hideouts and camps spanning the Umunoha axis. The Nigerian Police and Army have intensified efforts to rescue the abducted corps members, and the situation is being closely monitored. The families of the victims are anxiously waiting for the safe release of their loved ones.
Key points
- The Imo State Police Command and the 34 Artillery Brigade are working together to rescue the abducted corps members.
- The abductors have demanded N50m for each of the 19 victims, amounting to N950m.
- The police have identified the location where the victims are being held, but are cautious due to the presence of improvised explosive devices.
