Imo NYSC Kidnap: IED Threat Stalls Rescue As Parents Seek Help Over ₦1 Billion Ransom
By IKE UZOR-NZUBECHI & TOSI ORE
A dangerous rescue operation is unfolding in Imo State after security forces located the suspected camp where prospective National Youth Service Corps members abducted along the Owerri-Onitsha Road are believed to be held.
The development came as the victims’ parents reported a ₦1 billion ransom demand and appealed for urgent intervention to secure their children’s release.
Gunmen attacked two buses carrying prospective corps members travelling from Ibadan to orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom on Thursday.
The incident occurred around Umunoha on the Owerri-Onitsha Road, triggering a coordinated search by the police and other security agencies.
Conflicting Accounts Over Victims
Initially, the Imo State Police Command announced that 10 people had been rescued after security operatives responded to the attack.
However, uncertainty soon emerged over the actual number of people abducted.
Parents of the affected graduates later said 30 people had been travelling in the two buses.
They maintained that 10 passengers escaped from the attackers into the bush, while 20 prospective corps members were taken away.
The families therefore rejected the suggestion that the 10 people who escaped should necessarily be described as victims rescued by security forces.
Security authorities, meanwhile, have continued efforts to establish the precise number of people still in captivity. Recent reports similarly place the number of prospective corps members believed to remain in captivity at 20.
Drones Pinpoint Suspected Camp
Despite the uncertainty over the numbers, security operatives have recorded a significant breakthrough.
Commissioner of Police Audu Bosso said operatives tracked the abductors into the bush and deployed drones to locate their suspected camp.
According to him, the surveillance operation provided security forces with the coordinates of the location.
Yet, the discovery also presented a fresh danger.
Bosso said intelligence indicated that the camp had been mined with improvised explosive devices.
Because of that threat, operatives could not immediately enter the area.
Instead, the police began preparing specialised equipment and personnel for the operation.
Bulldozers and armoured personnel carriers are expected to support the advance, while additional security personnel have been deployed to reinforce the rescue mission.
The Inspector-General of Police also sent Deputy Inspector-General Shehu Nadada to Imo State to coordinate the operation and review the personnel and equipment available for the search.
Parents Receive ₦1bn Ransom Demand
While the security agencies plan their next move, the families are facing pressure from the abductors.
Parents said the kidnappers contacted them through the mobile phones of the abducted graduates.
According to the families, the abductors demanded ₦50 million for each victim.
With 20 people reportedly in captivity, the total demand stands at ₦1 billion.
The kidnappers reportedly gave the families 24 hours to produce the money and threatened the victims if the demand was not met.
Distressed parents subsequently visited the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, to seek assistance.
They told the traditional ruler that they could not raise such an amount and appealed for immediate intervention.
Their representatives, Alhaja Alimot Akande and Oyebola Michael Akande, also urged the police to intensify efforts to bring their children home safely.
Ladoja assured the families that he would support efforts to secure the victims’ release.
Similarly, Oyo State Commissioner of Police Olugbenga Abimbola said he had maintained contact with the Imo State command over the incident.
He assured the families that security agencies were working to rescue the victims unharmed.
CUPP Questions Security Architecture
Meanwhile, the Coalition of United Political Parties has escalated the political pressure over the abduction.
CUPP described the incident as a grave national emergency and criticised what it called failures in intelligence, highway surveillance, security patrols and rapid response.
The coalition argued that the victims were ordinary graduates travelling to fulfil a national obligation.
It therefore demanded their immediate and unconditional rescue.
CUPP also called for the Inspector-General of Police and relevant security chiefs to assume direct operational responsibility for the rescue effort.
Beyond the police, it urged the DSS, Army, Air Force and Defence Intelligence Agency to deploy their intelligence and operational capabilities.
The coalition further demanded an investigation into how the attackers were able to carry out the operation.
It wants authorities to conduct a comprehensive security audit of major highways and prosecute those responsible for the abduction.
A Wider Test of Highway Security
For CUPP, the incident reflects a broader challenge confronting Nigeria’s security system.
The coalition compared it with previous mass abductions, including the Chibok, Dapchi, Kankara, Kagara and Jangebe incidents, as well as the Abuja-Kaduna train attack.
It argued that repeated attacks require more than post-incident assurances.
Accordingly, the group called for stronger laws against kidnapping and a clear, measurable and time-bound national security strategy.
It also demanded regular and credible information for the victims’ families.
At the same time, CUPP called for humanitarian and psychological support for relatives affected by the abduction.
Although the coalition criticised the Federal Government’s security responsibility, it stated that it was not alleging that President Bola Tinubu personally ordered the abduction.
The immediate challenge now lies with the security agencies confronting a suspected hideout reportedly protected by explosives.
That situation makes the rescue operation particularly sensitive.
Consequently, security forces must navigate the competing demands of urgency, intelligence and hostage safety.
For the parents, however, there is little room for delay.
Their priority remains the safe return of the prospective corps members, while the wider incident has intensified the national debate over highway security, intelligence coordination and the government’s responsibility to protect citizens.
