Imo: Security Agencies Rescue 20 Abducted NYSC Members, One Other
Security agencies have rescued 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members and one other person abducted along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in Imo State.
The victims were rescued from the Amakohia-Ubi forest in Owerri West Local Government Area following a coordinated search-and-rescue operation by security agencies.
PRNigeria gathered that they have since been taken to the Department of State Services (DSS) Hospital in Owerri, where they are receiving medical attention and undergoing necessary medical checks.
The NYSC Director-General, Brigadier General Olakunle Oluseye Nafiu, is currently at the DSS clinic in Owerri, where he is addressing the rescued victims.
He is accompanied by the Imo State Commissioner of Police, the state Director of the DSS and the Commander of 34 Artillery Brigade.
The victims were abducted on October 1 while travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states.
The two buses conveying the prospective corps members came under attack near Umunoha in Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State.
Following the incident, security agencies launched a coordinated operation to locate the victims and their abductors.
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The Imo State Police Command had earlier disclosed that its operatives located the kidnappers’ camp through drone surveillance but could not immediately access the location after discovering that the area had reportedly been mined with improvised explosive devices.
Additional operational assets, including bulldozers and armoured personnel carriers, were subsequently deployed as security agencies intensified efforts to reach the victims.
The abduction had caused anxiety among the victims’ families, particularly following reports that the abductors were demanding ₦50 million for each victim.
Police had earlier confirmed the rescue of 10 victims, while efforts continued to locate those still in captivity.
The latest development brings the ordeal of the remaining 20 prospective corps members and the other abducted victim to an end, with all now receiving medical attention in Owerri.
Meanwhile, Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, has commended security agencies for securing the release of the 20 corps members.
Uzodimma, in a statement personally signed by him, praised the collaboration and patriotism of the security agencies in ensuring that the victims were rescued unharmed.
He also commended the Oyo and Imo State Governments for their collaborative efforts towards securing the release of all 20 captives.
The governor said the government deliberately avoided releasing too much information because the matter involved the security of human lives and required a discreet approach.
He expressed appreciation to the security agencies for the manner in which they handled the operation and also commended the parents of the victims for their patience throughout the ordeal.
By PRNigeria
