The Imo State Police Command has located the hideout where suspected kidnappers are believed to be holding some of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members and other passengers abducted in the state.
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The Commissioner of Police, Audu Garba Bosso, disclosed that security operatives used drones to track the suspected abductors and identify the location of their camp in a bush area.
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Bosso said the rescue operation had, however, been delayed by intelligence indicating that the area around the camp had been fitted with improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
The commissioner said security personnel had moved into the area during the search operation and traced the suspects to a particular location based on coordinates obtained through the drone surveillance.
He explained that the presence of suspected explosives made it difficult for the security forces to immediately enter the camp without taking additional precautions.
According to Bosso, security agencies were preparing to deploy heavy equipment and specialised vehicles to gain access to the area while reducing the risk to personnel and the abducted victims.
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He said the planned operation would involve high-mobility vehicles, bulldozers and armoured personnel carriers as security forces work to reach the camp and rescue those being held there.
The victims were among passengers abducted after suspected gunmen attacked two buses travelling along the Owerri-Onitsha Expressway on October 1.
The buses were reportedly conveying prospective corps members from Ibadan to orientation camps in the South-East and South-South when the attack occurred around the Umunoha axis of the road in Mbaitoli Local Government Area.
The Imo State Police Command had initially reported that 10 victims were rescued at the scene while efforts continued to determine the exact number of people still being held.
The Defence Headquarters later stated that 20 passengers had been abducted from the two buses. It said 10 people, including eight prospective corps members, had been rescued.
A joint search-and-rescue operation involving troops of Operation Udoka, the Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Services is ongoing, with support from the Nigerian Air Force.
Security agencies are continuing efforts to reach the remaining victims and apprehend the suspected abductors.
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