The 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members abducted while travelling from Oyo State to their orientation camps in Abia state have regained their freedom after spending about a week in captivity.
The graduates were abducted on Thursday, October 1, 2026, when gunmen attacked two buses conveying them along the Owerri-Onitsha Road near Umunoha in Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State.
The victims were travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to NYSC orientation camps in the South-East and South-South when the gunmen intercepted the buses at about 6:30am. The two buses were later recovered by the police, while 10 other passengers were rescued at the scene.
The abductors reportedly demanded N50 million for each victim, putting the initial ransom demand at N1 billion. Reports said the kidnappers subsequently reduced the demand, although the circumstances surrounding the release of the victims were not immediately clear.
Following the abduction, the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu, deployed the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Operations, DIG Shehu Umar Nadada, to Imo State to coordinate the search-and-rescue operation. Nadada arrived with two Commissioners of Police and conducted an on-the-spot assessment of the situation and the ongoing operation.
The police also deployed additional tactical teams and operational assets while intelligence-led tracking was used to locate the abductors and the victims. The operation was conducted in coordination with other security agencies.
The Imo State Commissioner of Police, CP Audu Bosso, had earlier disclosed that security operatives located the suspected kidnappers’ camp through intelligence gathering and drone surveillance. However, the operation was complicated by intelligence that the area had been planted with improvised explosive devices.
The rescued victims are currently receiving medical attention at the Department of State Services Hospital in Owerri, Imo State.
The Director-General of the NYSC, Brigadier-General Olakunle Oluseye Nafiu, visited the facility to meet the victims and assess their condition. He was accompanied by the Imo State Commissioner of Police, the Director of the DSS and the Commander of the 34 Artillery Brigade, Imo State.
Nafiu also addressed the rescued prospective corps members during the visit.
Meanwhile, the Managing Director of Uko Akwa Ibom Motors Nigeria Limited, Isiah Akpan, confirmed the release of the victims on Wednesday.
The police and other security agencies had earlier assured the public that the search-and-rescue operation would continue until all the abducted persons were safely recovered and the perpetrators apprehended.
