Twenty prospective National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, members and one other person abducted along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in Imo State have regained their freedom.
The victims, who were abducted on October 1 while travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom States, are currently receiving medical attention at the Department of State Services, DSS, Hospital in Owerri.
The two buses conveying the prospective corps members came under attack near Umunoha in the Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State.
The NYSC Director-General, Brigadier General Olakunle Oluseye Nafiu, is presently at the DSS Clinic in Owerri, where he is addressing the rescued victims.
He is accompanied by the Imo State Commissioner of Police, the Director of the DSS and the Commander, 34 Artillery Brigade, Imo State.
Following the abduction, 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 area because it was reportedly mined with improvised explosive devices, IEDs.
Additional operational assets, including bulldozers and armoured personnel carriers, were subsequently deployed as efforts intensified to reach the victims.
The incident had caused anxiety among the victims’ families, following reports that the abductors were demanding 50 million naira for each victim.
Police had earlier confirmed the rescue of ten victims, while efforts continued to locate the remaining abductees.
The latest development brings an end to the ordeal of the 20 prospective corps members and the other abducted victim, who are now safe and receiving medical attention in Owerri.
Meanwhile, Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, has commended security agencies for their intervention in securing the release of the 20 prospective corps members.
Governor Uzodimma, in a statement he personally signed, expressed satisfaction with the collaboration and patriotism demonstrated by the security agencies in ensuring that the victims were rescued unharmed.
He also praised the collaborative efforts of the Oyo and Imo State Governments, saying their cooperation contributed to the successful rescue of all 20 captives.
The Governor explained that because the incident involved the security of lives, the government was cautious about releasing too much information to the public, resulting in the discreet manner in which the operation was handled.
Governor Uzodimma expressed gratitude to the security agencies for their discreet and coordinated efforts, while also commending the parents of the victims for their patience throughout the trying period.
He urged Nigerians to continue to have faith in the Federal Government and its efforts to address the country’s security challenges.
