Police intensify search for 20 corps members abducted in Imo
Nigeria’s Inspector-General of Police has sent the operations chief and two commissioners to Imo State to coordinate efforts to rescue 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps members and other passengers abducted along the Owerri-Onitsha Road. Police say tactical teams, intelligence tracking and inter-agency cooperation have been expanded.
Nigeria’s Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, has deployed the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Operations, Shehu Nadada, to Imo State to coordinate efforts to rescue 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps members and other passengers abducted along the Owerri-Onitsha Road. The victims were abducted on Thursday, October 1, 2026, around Umunoha, according to Force Public Relations Officer Anietie Iniedu. Nadada arrived in the state with two commissioners of police and assessed the incident and the rescue operation.
During the assessment, the police reviewed their operational strategy, personnel deployment and available operational assets. Nadada also issued further instructions intended to strengthen coordination among the units involved in the response. He was accompanied by Imo State Commissioner of Police Audu Garba Bosso, Federal Operations Commissioner Akpan Anifiok, the commissioner overseeing the Police Mobile Force, other service commanders and members of the state command’s management team.
Iniedu said the search-and-rescue operation had been intensified. Additional tactical teams and operational resources were deployed across areas identified as relevant to the search, while intelligence-led efforts to track the suspects were being pursued. The police response is also being coordinated with other security agencies, the statement said.
The authorities did not provide details about the identities of the abductors, the exact location of the victims or whether any contact had been established with them. Nadada urged the public and media to remain calm and vigilant. He asked people with credible information to contact the police or the nearest security formation, assuring them that information would be treated confidentially.
Iniedu quoted Nadada as saying the police would continue the operation until the abducted people were safely rescued. Further updates, the statement said, would be issued as the operation progresses.
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