The graduates were abducted while travelling from Ibadan to NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states.

Twenty prospective National Youth Service Corps members abducted along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in Imo State have been rescued after six days in captivity, the Nigeria Police Force has confirmed.

The graduates were rescued on Wednesday, October 7, at Amakohia Ubi Village in Imo State following a sustained search-and-rescue operation involving the police and other security agencies.

Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Ani Iniedu, said the victims had been taken for medical assessment and necessary care.

“Efforts are ongoing to apprehend those responsible for the abduction, as the Police and other security agencies sustain coordinated operations towards bringing all culpable persons to justice,” Iniedu said.

The police did not disclose whether any ransom was paid or whether arrests had been made.

The victims were abducted on October 1 while travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom. They were travelling in two buses when gunmen attacked them around Umunoha in the Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State.

NYSC abduction triggered six-day security operation

The abduction prompted a multi-agency search across forests and suspected hideouts in the area.

Before the rescue, Imo State Police Commissioner Audu Bosso said security operatives had located the suspected kidnappers’ camp using drone surveillance but could not immediately enter because the area was believed to have been planted with improvised explosive devices.

The police subsequently intensified the operation, with additional security assets deployed to reach the victims safely.

The rescue was eventually carried out at Amakohia Ubi on Wednesday afternoon. Reports from local officials and security sources said the operation involved multiple security agencies, although the police’s official statement did not provide details of the tactical operation.

The Director-General of the NYSC, Brigadier General Olakunle Oluseye Nafiu, later visited the rescued graduates at a DSS medical facility in Owerri. He was accompanied by the Imo State Commissioner of Police, the state Director of the DSS and the Commander of the 34 Artillery Brigade.

Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma commended the security agencies and said the authorities deliberately kept operational details private to avoid compromising the rescue effort.

He also thanked the affected families for their patience during the ordeal.

Families faced ransom demands

The abduction had generated considerable anxiety among the families of the victims, particularly after reports that the kidnappers demanded ransom for their release.

Omotosho Adewale, whose child was among those abducted, told the BBC before the rescue that the kidnappers had demanded N50 million for his relative’s release.

He said he could not afford the demand and appealed to the government for help. Other reports later said the demands were reduced, but neither the police nor the state government has confirmed that any ransom was paid.

The uncertainty over the victims’ whereabouts was compounded by the reported discovery of explosives around the kidnappers’ hideout, making a direct assault potentially dangerous.

The safe recovery of the 20 graduates has brought relief to their families, but the police said the operation is not over. Security agencies are still searching for those responsible for the abduction and have pledged to arrest and prosecute the perpetrators.

Rescue renews concerns over NYSC travel safety

The incident has also renewed concerns about the safety of prospective corps members who travel long distances to orientation camps under Nigeria’s compulsory national service programme.

The NYSC requires most Nigerian graduates who meet the eligibility requirements to undergo a one-year national service, with participants frequently posted outside their states of origin.

In this case, the graduates were travelling from south-west Nigeria to orientation camps in the south-east when they were attacked.

The kidnapping comes amid broader concerns about insecurity on major roads in parts of the South-East, where travellers have faced attacks and abductions.

The Force said it remained committed to protecting lives and property and would continue working with other security agencies to bring those responsible to justice.