20 abducted corps members, one other regain freedom in Imo
Twenty prospective National Youth Service Corps members and another person abducted along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in Imo State have regained their freedom.
The victims are currently receiving medical attention at the Department of State Services Hospital in Owerri.
The Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps, Brigadier General Olakunle Oluseye Nafiu, is at the DSS hospital where he is attending to the rescued victims.
He was accompanied by the Imo State Commissioner of Police, the Director of the DSS and the Brigade Commander, 34 Artillery Brigade, Imo State.
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 the Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State.
Following the incident, security agencies launched a coordinated search-and-rescue operation to locate the victims and their abductors.
The Imo State Police Command later disclosed that its operatives had located the kidnappers’ camp through drone surveillance but could not immediately access the location because it was reportedly mined with improvised explosive devices.
The police subsequently deployed additional operational assets, including bulldozers and armoured personnel carriers, as efforts intensified to reach the victims.
The abduction also caused anxiety among the victims’ families following reports that the kidnappers were demanding N50 million for each victim.
Police had earlier confirmed the rescue of 10 victims following the attack, while efforts continued to locate the remaining abductees.
The latest development brings the ordeal of the 20 corps members and the other abducted victim to an end, with all of them now safe and receiving medical attention in Owerri.
Meanwhile, Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, has applauded security agencies for their intervention in securing the release of the 20 corps members.
Uzodimma said he was particularly pleased with the collaboration and patriotism demonstrated by the security agencies in ensuring that the corps members were rescued unharmed.
In a statement personally signed by him, the governor also expressed satisfaction with the collaborative efforts of the Oyo and Imo State Governments towards securing the release of all 20 captives.
He explained that because the incident involved the safety of human lives, the government was cautious about releasing too much information to the public, resulting in the discreet manner in which the operation was handled.
Uzodimma commended the security agencies for the discreet and collaborative approach adopted in tackling the situation.
He also praised the parents of the victims for their patience during the trying period and urged Nigerians to continue to have faith in the Federal Government in overcoming the country’s security challenges.
