Twenty prospective members of the National Youth Service Corps abducted while travelling to their orientation camps in the South-East have regained their freedom after spending seven days in captivity in Imo State.
The victims were rescued on Wednesday, October 7, at Amakohia Ubi Village in Imo State following a sustained search-and-rescue operation involving the Nigeria Police Force, military, Department of State Services and other security agencies.
The graduates were travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states when gunmen attacked the two buses conveying them along the Owerri-Onitsha road on October 1. The victims were subsequently taken into the bush, triggering a coordinated security operation to locate their captors and secure their release.
The rescue came after security operatives had earlier located the kidnappers’ hideout through drone surveillance. Police authorities had disclosed that officers could not immediately enter the location because the area was reportedly planted with improvised explosive devices, forcing the security agencies to bring in additional operational equipment, including bulldozers and armoured personnel carriers.
The police later confirmed that the 20 prospective corps members had been safely recovered at Amakohia Ubi. They were taken for medical assessment and necessary treatment following their release.
The Director-General of the NYSC, Brigadier General Olakunle Oluseye Nafiu, visited the rescued victims at the Department of State Services Hospital in Owerri, where they were receiving medical attention. He was accompanied by the Imo State Commissioner of Police, the Director of the DSS and the Commander of the 34 Artillery Brigade.
The circumstances surrounding the actual rescue operation have not been fully disclosed. Authorities have also not confirmed whether any ransom was paid or whether any of the abductors were arrested during the operation.
The abduction had generated considerable anxiety among the victims’ families after the kidnappers reportedly demanded N50 million for each captive, amounting to N1 billion. The demand was later reportedly reduced to N5 million per person, bringing the total ransom demand to N100 million.
The Imo State Government said it deliberately kept details of the security operation away from the public to avoid compromising the rescue effort. Governor Hope Uzodimma said the sensitive nature of the case required a discreet and coordinated approach until the victims were safely recovered.
With the 20 prospective corps members now free, the focus has shifted to identifying and apprehending those responsible for the abduction. The Nigeria Police Force said coordinated operations were continuing to track the masterminds and bring all those involved to justice.
The incident has also renewed concerns over the security of young Nigerians travelling to their places of national service, particularly as the NYSC mobilisation process involves thousands of graduates moving across state boundaries to reach orientation camps.
For the rescued graduates, the immediate priority remains medical care and recovery after their week-long ordeal, while security agencies continue the hunt for the kidnappers who carried out the attack.