Imo police locate alleged NYSC abduction camp but face mined approach

Police in Imo State say they have located the camp where 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps members are believed to be held, but explosives planted around the site have delayed a rescue attempt. The victims were travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom when gunmen attacked two buses in the Umunoha area of Imo State on Thursday. The police have described those responsible only as unknown gunmen while an investigation continues.

Imo Commissioner of Police Audu Garba Bosso said operatives tracked the group to a bush location. Drone surveillance identified the camp, but intelligence indicated that it had been mined with improvised explosive devices. Bosso said police were deploying bulldozers, vehicles and armoured personnel carriers to support the operation.

He said the objective was to bring the victims out safely and unhurt. Deputy Inspector-General of Police Shehu Umar Nadada, who was sent to Imo to coordinate the operation, appealed to families to cooperate with security agencies. He said additional operational assets and tactical teams had been deployed on the Inspector-General of Police’s instructions.

Families have reported ransom demands. One parent told Channels Television that kidnappers were demanding N50m for each victim. Another parent said a daughter had been seen with other abductees during a video call, sitting on the ground in the bush and crying.

Friends and relatives have started online campaigns seeking help and the victims’ release. A transport manifest reportedly listed 30 passengers, but the number abducted and the identities of any people rescued remained unclear because security agencies had not released the company’s manifest. The Oyo State Government condemned the abduction and said Governor Seyi Makinde was working with relevant stakeholders to secure the victims’ release.