The 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps members who were kidnapped while travelling from Oyo State to the orientation camp in Abia State have regained their freedom, seven days after they were abducted along the Owerri-Onitsha road in Umunoha, Imo State.
Details of the rescue operation were not available, but the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Anietie Iniedu, confirmed the development in a statement on Wednesday, adding that the victims had been taken for medical examination and necessary attention. The hostages were reportedly rescued by a joint team of the Nigeria Police Force, the Army, the Department of State Services and other security agencies. They were recovered at about 4:28 pm on Wednesday at Amakohia Ubi Village, Imo State, after sustained and coordinated search-and-rescue operations. There was, however, no information on any arrest, and the perpetrators remain at large.
According to the police, operatives working with other agencies had rescued the 20 prospective corps members abducted in Imo State on October 1, 2026, and the victims were undergoing post-rescue medical checks. Iniedu said efforts were continuing to apprehend the masterminds, with the police and other agencies having intensified operations to bring them to justice. The force thanked members of the public for their cooperation, reaffirmed its commitment to protecting lives and property, and promised further updates.
The Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, also confirmed the release in a statement by his media aide, Adeola Oloko. He said Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma had told him of it in a telephone conversation at about 5 pm on Wednesday. One of the victims’ parents, Alhaja Alimot Akande, said the families were overwhelmed and happy at the news, and that they would prefer to see their children or speak with them by phone before saying more.
Uzodimma commended the security agencies for their swift intervention, in a statement he signed personally. He said the state government had deliberately adopted a discreet, coordinated approach to avoid releasing information that could jeopardise investigations, and that because lives were at stake, the government was cautious about what it made public. He said he was particularly grateful to the security agencies for handling the matter so discreetly and collaboratively, and he urged Nigerians to keep faith in the Federal Government’s ability to overcome the country’s security challenges. He also thanked the parents and families for their patience and understanding throughout the ordeal, and assured residents that the government would keep supporting measures to protect lives and property and ensure peace.
The Imo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress also welcomed the rescue. Its Publicity Secretary, Dr Jones Onwuasoanya, said the party rejoiced with the families and praised the security personnel for what he called a well-coordinated and audacious operation marked by professionalism, bravery and patriotism. The party added that the government would relentlessly pursue the perpetrators and keep the state safe for residents and travellers.
The PUNCH had reported that 20 of 30 graduates travelling in two buses from Ibadan to the NYSC orientation camp in Abia State were kidnapped by suspected gunmen. The abductors initially demanded N50 million per victim, a total of N1 billion, before reducing the ransom to N5 million each, or N100 million in all. The victims’ parents had appealed to the Olubadan and to the government for their children’s rescue.
