How the Rescue of the 20 NYSC Members Unfolded in Imo
By Reporter
Twenty prospective members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) abducted by gunmen in Imo State have regained their freedom after spending seven days in captivity.
The victims were rescued on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, from a kidnappers’ hideout in the Amakohia-Ubi forest in Owerri West Local Government Area of the state, following a coordinated operation by security agencies.
According to police and other official accounts, Corps members abducted were rescued after days of intelligence gathering, surveillance and coordinated operations by security agencies.
The victims were reportedly kidnapped on October 1 while travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states. Reports placed the attack around Umunoha along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in Mbaitoli Local Government Area.
Following the abduction, the Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Army, Department of State Services (DSS) and other security agencies reportedly intensified efforts to locate the victims.
Authorities said intelligence and drone surveillance led security agencies to the suspected kidnappers’ hideout. However, officials said the agencies did not immediately storm the location because intelligence indicated that improvised explosive devices had been planted in the area.
Imo State Commissioner of Police, CP Audu Bosso, said security agencies adopted a cautious approach and deployed additional equipment, including bulldozers and armoured personnel carriers, to gain access without endangering the hostages or security personnel. The account has not been independently verified.
The Inspector-General of Police also reportedly deployed the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Operations, DIG Shehu Nadada, to Imo State to coordinate the police response and reinforce the search operation.
Police said the 20 victims regained their freedom on Wednesday, October 7, at Amakohia-Ubi Village in Imo State, following sustained and coordinated search-and-rescue operations. The victims were subsequently taken to a DSS medical facility in Owerri for medical assessment and treatment, according to the police.
The precise circumstances of their release remain unclear. A video reportedly circulating online appears to show the victims emerging from a forest and walking towards a road without security personnel visibly escorting them. The video’s authenticity and timing have not been independently established. Its contents have prompted questions about whether security forces entered the suspected hideout or whether the victims were released and later picked up by security personnel.
Neither the police nor other security agencies have publicly provided a detailed account of how the victims left the kidnappers’ custody. Authorities have also not confirmed whether ransom was paid or whether any of the abductors were arrested during the operation.
The reported outcome is that the 20 prospective corps members, who were said to have spent seven days in captivity, were found safe and taken for medical attention. The identities and whereabouts of those responsible for the abduction, as well as the precise sequence of events leading to the victims’ release, remain unresolved.
