The 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members abducted along the Owerri-Onitsha Expressway in Imo State on October 1 have been rescued, according to a security source cited by TheCable.
The source said operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), the military and the police carried out the joint operation that secured their release.
The rescued graduates are receiving medical attention at a DSS facility in Imo State, the source added.
The development follows days of anxiety for their families, who had appealed for urgent intervention after the kidnappers demanded money for their release.
Gunmen intercepted buses travelling from Ibadan
The victims were travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states when gunmen intercepted two 18-seater buses on the morning of Thursday, October 1.
Imo police spokesperson Henry Okoye said the attack occurred at about 6:30 a.m. The assailants took passengers into the bush after stopping the vehicles.
Police subsequently announced that 10 people had been rescued at the scene and that an intelligence-backed operation was underway to locate those still in captivity.
An earlier military account also reported the rescue of 10 prospective corps members in Imo. However, affected families later disputed that account, saying some passengers escaped by running into the bush.
Families faced ₦1 billion ransom demand
The abductors contacted the victims’ families through the captives’ mobile phones and initially demanded ₦50 million per person, amounting to ₦1 billion for the 20 victims.
Family representatives Alhaja Akande and Oyebola Akande said the kidnappers gave them a 24-hour deadline to raise the money.
Parents subsequently reported that the ransom demand had been reduced to ₦5 million per victim, bringing the total to ₦100 million. They also alleged that the captives were being beaten and renewed their appeals for government intervention.
IGP deployed senior officers to coordinate operation
Inspector-General of Police Tunji Disu deployed the Deputy Inspector-General in charge of Operations, Shehu Nadada, to coordinate rescue efforts.
Force spokesperson Anietie Iniedu said Nadada arrived in Imo with two commissioners of police and conducted an on-the-spot assessment.
He reviewed personnel deployments and operational assets before issuing directives to strengthen the coordinated security response.
Other NYSC security incidents
The Imo abduction followed separate attacks involving corps members in Kogi State, where security operatives initially reported rescuing 11 people after an attack along the Aloma-Egane Expressway.
A subsequent operation in Kogi secured the release of 21 victims, including 15 NYSC members.
Separately, police had issued a security alert concerning schools and NYSC orientation camps following intelligence about possible terrorist mobilisation.
For the families affected by the Imo attack, the latest report marks the end of the victims’ captivity, with medical care now underway, according to the security source.
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