How Prospective NYSC Members Regained Freedom — Police

The Imo State Police Command has explained how 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members abducted while travelling through the state were rescued after seven days in captivity.

The prospective corps members were abducted on October 1 while travelling from Ibadan to their NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states.

The group was travelling in two buses when armed men reportedly intercepted them at Umunoha in Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State and took them into the bush.

Thirty people were in the travelling party, but 10 managed to escape while the remaining 20 were taken captive.

The victims were eventually released on Tuesday at Amakohia-Ubi in Owerri West Local Government Area.

According to the police, the rescue followed sustained search-and-rescue operations involving the Department of State Services (DSS), Nigerian Army, Nigerian Air Force, Nigerian Navy and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).

The Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Anietie Iniedu, said security agencies were continuing efforts to identify and arrest those responsible for the abduction.

Imo State Commissioner of Police, Audu Garba Bosso, said intelligence provided to security agencies helped them establish the location where the victims were being held.

He explained that operatives moved into the area after identifying the location, forcing the abductors to flee and allowing the security agencies to rescue the victims.

The rescued corps members were taken to a DSS facility in Owerri for medical assessment and necessary care. NYSC Director-General, Brigadier General Olakunle Oluseye Nafiu, later visited them at the DSS Clinic, accompanied by the Imo State Commissioner of Police, the state DSS director and the Commander of the 34 Artillery Brigade.

However, conflicting accounts have emerged over whether ransom was paid before the victims were released.

While the police and Imo State Government attributed the development to coordinated security operations, a relative of one of the victims claimed that the family had paid ransom.

The relative, who said his sister was among those abducted, claimed the ransom demanded from the family was reduced to N5 million and that the amount was paid in full.

The relative also disputed the account that security agencies rescued the victims but declined to disclose further details about how the release was secured.

The police have not confirmed whether any ransom was paid.

The release brought relief to families of the victims in Ibadan, who had spent seven days dealing with uncertainty over the safety of their children.

One of the parents, Mrs Iyabo Akande, said the families were relieved by the release but were still waiting to speak directly with their children.

She said the families had experienced considerable emotional and financial pressure during the ordeal, with parents making separate arrangements after ransom demands were communicated.

Akande also said the victims would require medical and psychological support after their experience in captivity.

Other parents, including Femi Adewale, Sade Oyeyemi and Janet Oladosu, expressed relief and gratitude following the release, while saying they wanted to reunite with their children and confirm their safety.

The development also drew reactions from political and traditional leaders in Oyo and Imo states.

Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma informed Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, of the victims’ release during a telephone conversation.

The monarch had earlier received the parents of the abducted prospective corps members at his residence in Bodija, where they sought his support and intervention.

Oyo State Commissioner for Information, Dotun Oyelade, also welcomed the release and called on the Federal Government to strengthen measures to prevent similar incidents.

Uzodimma commended the security agencies and the collaboration between the Imo and Oyo state governments during the operation.

The Imo governor said the situation’s sensitivity required security agencies to maintain discretion while working to secure the victims’ release, adding that this approach contributed to the operation’s outcome.

He also commended the victims’ parents and relatives for their patience throughout the seven-day ordeal.