Imo police reveal how 21 abducted corps members were rescued

The Imo State Police Command has explained how security agencies secured the release of 21 people, including 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members, who were abducted in the state.

The Commissioner of Police, Audu Bosso, said the abductors eventually released the victims after security operatives intensified efforts to locate their hideout and mounted pressure on them.

Bosso disclosed this during an interview with Channels Television on Thursday, while providing an update on the rescue operation.

According to the police commissioner, the command had no information indicating that a ransom was paid to secure the victims’ freedom.

He said security personnel had combed the forest as part of a coordinated operation, which eventually forced the kidnappers to give up the captives.

Bosso, however, said the rescued victims were still receiving attention at the office of the Department of State Services (DSS).

The 20 prospective corps members and another victim were kidnapped on October 1 while travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states.

Following the incident, security agencies launched a joint search for the victims and the suspected kidnappers.

The police had earlier disclosed that drone surveillance helped operatives identify the location of the kidnappers’ camp.

However, security personnel could not immediately access the area after the location was reportedly found to have been planted with improvised explosive devices.

Additional operational resources were subsequently deployed as security agencies intensified their efforts to reach the abducted victims.

The incident had raised concern among relatives of the victims, particularly amid reports that the kidnappers were demanding ₦50 million for each person in their custody.

Police authorities had previously announced the rescue of 10 victims while the search for the remaining abductees continued.

The remaining victims were eventually released from the Amakohia-Ubi forest in Owerri West Local Government Area of Imo State on Wednesday following the coordinated security operation.

The development brought an end to the ordeal of the 21 abducted persons, who were subsequently taken to safety and placed under medical attention in Owerri.

Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma commended the security agencies involved in the operation.

In a statement personally signed by him, the governor also praised the cooperation between the Imo and Oyo state governments, saying their joint efforts contributed to the release of the abducted persons.