Kidnapped NYSC members still in captivity

OWERRI — Prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members abducted along the Owerri-Onitsha highway in Imo State on October 1, 2026, are still in captivity, as security agencies intensify efforts to rescue them.

The victims were among passengers travelling in two buses from Ibadan, Oyo State, to Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, and Bende, Abia State, respectively, when armed men attacked the vehicles at Umunoha.

The Imo State Commissioner of Police, CP Audu Garba Bosso, said security agencies had located the hideout where the abducted prospective corps members were being held, but were exercising caution because the area was reportedly heavily mined with improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

Bosso said security personnel had been following leads and acting on intelligence while combing bushes around the scene of the attack.

He added that a surveillance drone had also been deployed as part of the operation.

The police commissioner said, “Reliable intelligence indicates that the area around the camp of the gunmen, where the corps members are being held, is heavily mined with Improvised Explosive Devices.”

He assured that security operatives were aware of the location of the abductors and their captives, adding that arrangements were being made to deploy a specialised heavy-duty armoured vehicle to breach and penetrate the camp.

The abduction occurred on October 1 along the Umunoha axis of the Owerri-Onitsha Expressway.

In his initial statement on the incident, the Imo State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Henry Okoye, said the Commissioner of Police, in collaboration with sister security agencies, had deployed tactical teams and operational assets to rescue the abducted corps members and other passengers and apprehend the suspected abductors.

Okoye said two buses involved in the incident had been recovered, while 10 victims were rescued at the scene.

He added that the exact number of persons abducted was being verified at the time and would be made public once confirmed.

“Operatives are conducting coordinated search-and-rescue operations, backed by intelligence-led tracking of the suspects,” Okoye said.

He further said the affected section of the expressway had been reopened and traffic restored, while security personnel remained deployed to protect commuters.

In a subsequent update, the Force Public Relations Officer, Force Headquarters, Mr Aniette Iniedu, said the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Disu, had deployed the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Operations, DIG Shehu Umar Nadada, to Imo State to provide operational direction for the search-and-rescue operation.

According to Iniedu, Nadada arrived in the state with two Commissioners of Police and conducted an on-the-spot assessment of the situation and the ongoing operations.

He said the DIG reviewed the deployment of personnel and operational assets and issued further directives to strengthen the coordinated response.

“The search-and-rescue operation has been further intensified, with additional deployments of tactical teams and operational assets across identified areas, backed by intelligence-led tracking of the suspects,” Iniedu said.

The development comes amid varying reports on social media about the fate of the abducted prospective corps members.

However, the latest position attributed to the state police command is that security agencies have established the location of the captives and are working on a strategy to safely access the camp.

The police have not disclosed the exact number of prospective corps members still in captivity.