20 abducted prospective NYSC members freed after one week

Twenty prospective National Youth Service Corps members abducted while travelling from Oyo State to orientation camps have been freed after seven days in captivity, authorities said.

Gunmen seized the group on 1 October along the Owerri-Onitsha Road near Umunoha in Imo State. The victims were released on 7 October following a joint operation involving the police, State Security Service, military and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps. An additional civilian was also freed.

Police spokesperson Ani Iniedu said the prospective corps members were rescued after sustained search operations and taken for medical assessment. They received treatment at the SSS hospital in Owerri, where NYSC Director-General Olakunle Oluseye Nafiu visited them. The 20 later returned to Ibadan and reunited with their families on Thursday.

Imo State Police Commissioner Audu Bosso said pressure from security forces caused the abductors to release the captives and that efforts to arrest those responsible were continuing. He said he was unaware of any ransom payment. However, The Punch reported that some parents said they paid the abductors in dollars before the release. Earlier reports said the kidnappers initially demanded ₦50 million per person before reducing the demand to ₦5 million each.

Imo Governor Hope Uzodimma said officials had limited public disclosures during the operation to avoid jeopardising the victims’ safety and the investigation.