Twenty prospective members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) abducted along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in Imo State have regained their freedom after a joint operation by security agencies.
Gatekeepers News reports that the victims were abducted on Thursday, October 1, when gunmen attacked two buses conveying prospective corps members and other passengers near Umunoha in Mbaitoli Local Government Area of the state. The passengers were travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states.
TheCable reports that the rescue operation was carried out by a joint team comprising operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), military and police.
The rescued corps members are currently receiving medical attention at a DSS facility in Imo State.
One other person abducted alongside the corps members was also freed. The development came seven days after the victims were kidnapped.
Before their rescue, the Imo State Police Command had said it located the kidnappers’ camp through drone surveillance but was unable to immediately enter the area because intelligence indicated that the location had been planted with improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
Security agencies subsequently intensified the operation, deploying additional tactical personnel and equipment to reach the victims safely.
Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, had earlier deployed Deputy Inspector-General of Police Shehu Nadada, alongside two commissioners of police, to coordinate the rescue operation.
The abduction had also triggered ransom demands, with reports that the kidnappers initially demanded ₦50 million for each victim.
Following their release, the NYSC Director-General, Brigadier-General Olakunle Oluseye Nafiu, visited the rescued corps members at the DSS hospital in Owerri. He was accompanied by the Imo State Commissioner of Police, the state Director of the DSS and the Commander of the 34 Artillery Brigade.
Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma commended the security agencies for the successful operation, saying the government deliberately avoided releasing sensitive information while efforts were underway because of the need to protect the victims’ lives.
