Gunmen abduct 20 NYSC members on Imo road, police say

Gunmen have abducted 20 National Youth Service Corps members travelling along the Owerri–Onitsha Road in Imo State, according to the state police command. The corps members were intercepted near Umunoha in Mbaitoli Local Government Area while travelling in a commercial bus from Ibadan, Oyo State, to different NYSC orientation camps in the South-East and South-South, police spokesperson Henry Okoye told Channels Television. Okoye said Commissioner of Police Audu Bosso had visited the scene to assess the incident.

Police and other security agencies were intensifying efforts to find the victims and secure their release unharmed and unconditionally. Security operatives were searching surrounding bushes, while a Rapid Response Team had been deployed to track the kidnappers and assist with the rescue operation, the police spokesperson said. The supplied material did not report any arrests or provide further details about the attackers.

The incident comes weeks after another attack on vehicles carrying passengers, including NYSC members, on the Aloma–Egane Expressway. Police previously said 11 people were rescued after that incident, although the exact number of corps members among them was not identified. The earlier abduction reportedly occurred on 26 August near Ogene Zaria, close to the Ogene Zaria–Onicha-Igo Junction.

Armed men emerged from surrounding bushland and stopped two buses travelling in opposite directions, abducting some passengers while others escaped. Joint security forces, including the police, military, Department of State Services and auxiliary personnel, later rescued the victims on 31 August. Defence authorities said they were found in Egume Forest in Kogi State after a coordinated operation.

The latest case again places travelling corps members at the centre of a security operation. Police have not said whether the abductors have made contact with authorities or issued demands.