Twenty prospective National Youth Service Corps members who were abducted while travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to their respective orientation camps in the South-East have regained their freedom after spending seven days in captivity.
The graduates were kidnapped by gunmen along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in the Umunoha area of Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State on Thursday, October 1, 2026, while travelling to orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states.
The victims were travelling in two commercial buses from Ibadan when the gunmen reportedly intercepted the vehicles and took the prospective corps members into the bush.
The abduction generated considerable anxiety among the victims’ families, particularly after the kidnappers reportedly demanded a ransom of N50 million for each of the 20 graduates, putting the initial total demand at N1 billion.
The abductors later reduced the demand to N5 million per victim, bringing the reported total ransom demand down to N100 million. The development nevertheless continued to generate concern among the families, who appealed for urgent intervention to secure the safe release of their children.
The incident also triggered intensified security operations in Imo State, with the police and other security agencies deploying personnel and operational resources to locate the victims and track down their abductors.
The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, had earlier deployed the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Operations, DIG Shehu Nadada, alongside other senior police officers, to reinforce the rescue operation.
The police said the operation involved intelligence-led tracking and coordinated efforts aimed at locating the abductors and securing the safe release of the victims.
There were also conflicting accounts surrounding the initial rescue of some passengers following the attack. While the Imo State Police Command initially reported that 10 victims had been rescued, families of the abducted corps members subsequently maintained that some passengers escaped into the bush while the gunmen took the 20 prospective corps members away.
The latest development, however, brings an end to the immediate ordeal of the 20 graduates, who were eventually recovered after seven days in captivity.
Following their rescue, the victims were taken to the Department of State Services Hospital in Owerri, Imo State, where they are receiving medical attention and undergoing assessment.
The Director-General of the NYSC, Brigadier-General Olakunle Oluseye Nafiu, visited the rescued corps members at the facility to assess their condition and interact with them.
Nafiu was accompanied during the visit by the Imo State Commissioner of Police, the Director of the Department of State Services and the Commander of the 34 Artillery Brigade in the state.
The rescue is expected to provide relief to the families of the affected graduates, who had endured days of uncertainty over the safety of their children.
The incident has also renewed concerns about the security risks faced by prospective corps members travelling to orientation camps across Nigeria. In this case, the victims were on their way to begin the mandatory national service programme when their journey was interrupted by the attack.
The Imo incident came only weeks after another group of NYSC members was abducted in Kogi State. In that case, security forces rescued 21 victims, including 15 corps members and six other Nigerians, from a forest in Ofu Local Government Area.
The latest rescue has therefore added to growing calls for stronger security arrangements for prospective corps members travelling from their places of residence to orientation camps, particularly on major inter-state routes considered vulnerable to kidnapping.
For the 20 rescued graduates, however, the immediate priority is their recovery after the traumatic experience, while security agencies are expected to continue efforts to identify and apprehend those responsible for the abduction.
The safe return of the prospective corps members has brought relief to their families and communities after a week of uncertainty, while also highlighting the continuing security challenges surrounding inter-state travel and the movement of young Nigerians participating in the national service programme.
