Reported by Ariajegbe Sylvia Esezobor
The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, has deployed the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Operations, DIG Shehu Umar Nadada, and two Commissioners of Police to Imo State to coordinate and intensify the search-and-rescue operation for 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, at about 6:30 a.m. near Umunoha in Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State, when gunmen reportedly emerged from the bush and blocked two commercial buses travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to orientation camps in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, and Bende, Abia State. The Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Anietie Iniedu, disclosed the deployment in a statement issued on Friday, saying Nadada arrived in the state with the two Commissioners of Police and conducted an on-the-spot assessment of the situation and the ongoing rescue efforts.
The assessment was conducted alongside the Imo State Commissioner of Police, CP Audu Garba Bosso, the Commissioner of Police, Federal Operations, CP Akpan Anifiok, the Commissioner of Police in charge of the Police Mobile Force, other service commanders and members of the management team of the Imo State Police Command. The DIG reviewed the operational strategies, the deployment of personnel and operational assets, and issued further directives aimed at strengthening the coordinated response. "The search-and-rescue operation has been further intensified, with additional deployments of tactical teams and operational assets across identified areas, backed by intelligence-led tracking of the suspects," Iniedu said. He added that the police were working in close coordination with sister security agencies to ensure the safe rescue of the abducted persons and the apprehension of the perpetrators.
Nadada assured members of the public that the Nigeria Police Force remained committed to securing the safe rescue of the 20 abducted persons and would sustain the operation until the mission was successfully concluded. He urged members of the public and the media to remain calm and vigilant, while encouraging anyone with credible information that could assist the operation to contact the police or the nearest security formation. "All information received will be treated with strict confidentiality," Iniedu said, adding that further updates would be issued as the operation progressed.
The abduction has thrown families of the victims into panic, with reports emerging that the abductors have demanded a combined ransom of N950 million, N50 million for each of the 19 victims they initially claimed to be holding. The victims were travelling in two buses belonging to Uko Akwa Ibom Motors Nigeria Limited when the gunmen struck. The drivers of the two buses managed to escape and alerted security personnel at a nearby checkpoint, prompting the police and military to begin searching the area. The Imo State Police Command subsequently announced that 10 victims had been rescued, though the command said the exact number of persons abducted was still being verified. "The rescued victims are in safe hands and are being attended to," the command said in a statement issued through its spokesperson, Henry Okoye. The command said it was working with the NYSC directorate to contact the families of affected corps members and keep them informed as the operation progressed.
The abduction is the latest in a series of attacks targeting prospective corps members travelling to orientation camps across the country. In August 2026, kidnappers abducted corps members travelling from Bayelsa State to Abuja and demanded N20 million for each victim. In January, a prospective corps member was abducted along the Kogi axis while travelling to Taraba State, with her abductors demanding N30 million. The Lagos State House of Assembly intervened in that case, calling for her urgent release. The Imo attack came 36 days after 15 prospective corps members were abducted along the Aloma-Egane Expressway in Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State. They were subsequently rescued in a sustained, intelligence-driven operation in Egume Forest, with security forces continuing efforts to apprehend the kidnappers.
The National Association of Nigerian Students, Southwest Zone D, raised alarm over the ransom demands and called on the Federal Government to review compulsory long-distance postings and introduce safer deployment and transportation arrangements. The association demanded the immediate implementation of the risk-sensitive deployment framework approved by the Federal Executive Council in June 2026 as part of comprehensive NYSC reforms. The reforms include a technology-driven call-up process, risk-sensitive deployment to improve the safety of corps members, a redesigned six-week orientation programme, skills-based primary assignments and improved orientation camp standards. NANS argued that the latest incident underscored the need to move from policy approval to practical implementation, calling for state-based or zonal service options until the security situation improved.
The deployment of the DIG Operations and two Commissioners of Police underscores the seriousness with which the Nigeria Police Force is treating the abduction, and it signals an escalation in the institutional response to a crime that has become alarmingly recurrent. The involvement of senior officers at the rank of Deputy Inspector-General is typically reserved for operations of significant national concern, and the presence of two Commissioners of Police alongside the Imo State Commissioner adds additional operational capacity and coordination to the search. The police have said the operation is being supported by intelligence-led tracking of the suspects, though no arrests have been announced as of Saturday.
For the families of the 20 abducted corps members, the deployment of senior police officers represents both a source of hope and a painful reminder of the vulnerability of young Nigerians who travel long distances to serve their country. The ransom demand of N950 million, if confirmed, is far beyond the means of the families involved, many of whom are petty traders and low-income earners. The coming days will determine whether the intensified search operation yields the safe rescue of the remaining victims and whether the perpetrators are apprehended. The police have urged anyone with credible information to come forward, stressing that all information will be treated with strict confidentiality. As DIG Nadada put it, the Nigeria Police Force is committed to securing the safe rescue of the 20 abducted persons and will sustain the operation until the mission is successfully concluded.
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